US Senators express ‘grave concern’ over lapse of contract that halted mail

Residents in northern Minnesota’s Cook County have reported not receiving any mail in 2025, according to U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN).

In response to a congressional inquiry submitted Wednesday, the United State Postal Service’s District Consumer Affairs stated the route was handled by a contractor whose contract expired on Dec. 31.

The Minnesota-North Dakota District leadership was not made aware of the lapse, according to Klobuchar and Smith.

In a joint letter Thursday to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the senators said the disconnect is a “cause for grave concern.”

“The buck stops with you,” they wrote. “If your oversight practices fail to notify you of disruptions of this magnitude, that failing is yours.”