Rep. Jason T. Smith, U.S. Representative for Missouri's 8th District | Official Website
Rep. Jason T. Smith, U.S. Representative for Missouri's 8th District | Official Website
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Jason Smith, along with Representatives Sam Graves, Ann Wagner, and Blaine Luetkemeyer, has called for an investigation into significant mail delays in rural Missouri. In a letter addressed to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the group demanded that the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General audit the Sorting and Distribution Center in Hazelwood, Missouri.
“The rural mail crisis is taking a major toll on the quality of life in communities across southeast and south-central Missouri,” said Smith. “Seniors are struggling to make ends meet because Social Security checks aren’t arriving on time. Veterans aren’t receiving the benefits they earned for their selfless service to our nation. Small businesses are fearing that they’ll have to close their doors for good because packages for, and payments from, customers are getting lost in the mail."
Smith further stated his intent to hold USPS accountable: “Enough is enough. The USPS must be held accountable for its poor decisions and years of mismanagement that created and continues to fuel the rural mail crisis. That’s why I’m demanding the USPS Office of Inspector General immediately launch an investigation into the unacceptable mail delays in rural Missouri and provide a detailed plan on what – if any – steps the agency is taking to improve service.”
The representatives also requested USPS provide a comprehensive plan addressing unreliable mail service in rural Missouri, recent absentee ballot issues ahead of November elections, and details on how its rural delivery proposal will impact local post offices.
Smith emphasized that resolving this issue remains a top priority. Last year, he demanded answers from DeJoy regarding long mail delays following USPS's decision to shut down Cape Girardeau Processing and Distribution Facility and move operations to Saint Louis in February 2022.
In 2021, Smith joined a bipartisan group urging DeJoy to pause further postal facility consolidations under its Delivering for America plan.
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