After five years of contentious relations with former postmaster general Louis DeJoy, many in Congress may see the arrival of his successor as an opportunity for fresh thinking at L’Enfant Plaza and different perspectives on some of the issues that nettled Congress the most.
With memories of last December’s confrontations at House and Senate hearings still fresh in their minds, engagement with new PMG David Steiner may indicate expectations of at least a different attitude, if not more agreeable responses.
Caucus
On July 31, in a joint press release, Reps. Reps. Jack Bergman (MI 1st), Nikki Budzinski (IL 13th), Chris Pappas (NH 1st), and Andrew Garbarino (NY 2nd) “announced the launch of a new bipartisan caucus aimed at improving the Postal Service.” As described in the release,
“The Congressional Postal Service Caucus will focus on improving on-time delivery rates, protecting postal employees, and stopping harmful facility consolidations that reduce access in rural and underserved areas.”
The caucus’ founders represent diverse districts that are both very rural and quite suburban:
- Bergman represents the upper third of Michigan’s “mitten” and all the upper peninsula of the state. He stated that “In Iron Mountain, Michigan, we saw firsthand what happens when rural perspectives are ignored – vital services are put at risk.”
- Budzinski’s district is a narrow band from Urbana through Springfield to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis. She added that “For years, rural communities like the ones I represent in Central and Southern Illinois have faced lagging delivery rates, facility closures, and neglect from the top leadership from USPS.”
- Pappas serves the eastern third of New Hampshire, along the Maine border.
- Garbarino’s district in along south central Long Island.
In informing new PMG David Steiner of this development, the government relations staff – selected by DeJoy, and still in place – may be filtering these comments so they don’t reflect badly on DeJoy’s policies under his 10-Year Plan.
A less biased interpretation would quickly translate the caucus’ establishment and its founders’ comments as reactions to declining service. DeJoy’s network changes, reductions in transportation, downgraded service standards, and, most of all, his implementation of the Regional Transportation Optimization initiative (that ended evening collections at 70% of all post offices) collectively have impacted service generally, and especially in rural areas.
Hawley
At last year’s Senate hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley (MO) had one of the testier exchanges with then-PMG DeJoy. As reported in the December 16, 2024, issue of Mailers Hub News:
“… He started by noting that 754 of the 926 post offices in his state, serving 50% of Missouri’s population, were beyond fifty miles from a planned regional processing and distribution center and, as a result, were impacted by the RTO initiative. “DeJoy retreated to his talking points, claiming 88% of mail originates with 50 miles of an RPDC, and again claiming there were ‘tens of thousands of trucks running around with nothing in them.’ He needs to cut costs, he said, and didn’t believe RTO was punitive; rather, he was making changes that should have been made twenty years ago.”
Hawley’s annoyance was soon clarified:
“I hate this plan and I’m going to do everything I can to kill it. … I just want you to know I’m going to go to the mat on this, and I’m going to work with everybody I can across this dais to protect delivery to rural America, and if I have to go down with the ship, I’ll go down with the ship, but I’m going to do everything I can to kill it.”
On May 6, Hawley made good on his threat, filing the No Regional Transportation Optimization Act that stated:
“The United States Postal Service shall not implement its Regional Transportation Optimization initiative, or any similar initiative, if the Postal Regulatory Commission has determined in an advisory opinion … that such implementation will negatively affect rural communities.”
Looking to new PMG David Steiner to be more responsive, Hawley wrote him a letter on August 5 stating, in part:
“During the tenure of your predecessor, the Delivering for America plan resulted in persistent mail delays, higher costs, and reduced service reliability across the country. USPS failed to meet its own nationwide performance targets in nearly every category, and the problem was even worse in my home state of Missouri, where on-time delivery rates dropped below 77% in fiscal year 2024. This is unacceptable. Rural families, small businesses, and veterans depend on reliable mail service for everything from prescription medications to Social Security checks. They deserve a Postal Service that works for them.
“Moving forward, I respectfully urge you to focus on reforms that improve service quality and operational efficiency without sacrificing the needs of rural America. In particular, I strongly encourage you to:
(1) Abandon policies that disadvantage rural communities. USPS leadership should commit to restoring timely, reliable mail service for all Americans, especially those in rural areas who lack access to alternatives. Reforms should prioritize operational improvements over service cuts or consolidations that disproportionately harm rural customers.
(2) Immediately halt the implementation of the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan. The Postal Regulatory Commission has already concluded that the RTO plan would have ‘significant negative impacts on rural communities throughout the United States.’ This misguided initiative should be suspended until it can be fully reassessed under your leadership, with a focus on preserving service standards for rural customers.
“… Your tenure presents an important opportunity to repair trust and deliver meaningful reforms that serve the entire nation.”
DeJoy’s acolytes still advocating the “operational efficiencies” of his Plan may be urging Steiner to continue RTO implementation despite an unfavorable recommendation from the Postal Regulatory Commission and persistent and conspicuous opposition to it from Congress. However, poor service, especially in politically-sensitive rural districts hardest hit by RTO, is a hot-button issue that Steiner may want to defuse early in his tenure. He’s stated his commitment to service; ending RTO may be one way to prove it.