Angie Craig demands answers for long delays in mail deliveries for south metro suburbs
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig wants to know what's causing days-long delays in mail delivery in the Twin Cities' southern suburbs.
Craig sent U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy a letter on Friday saying she was frustrated with reports that her constituents regularly go up to four days without mail, with some saying they haven't gotten any mail since Dec. 16., the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
Craig represents Dakota, Scott, Goodhue and Wabasha counties as well as parts of Rice and Washington counties.
READ MORE: Mail issues plague Lakeville residents ahead of Christmas
She said she wrote to the postal service in early November about mail delays in Lakeville and followed up with a phone call on Dec. 8. Constituents continue to complain despite pledges that a route wouldn't go underserved for more than a day, Craig said.
She asks in her letter for details about routes in her district that have gone unserved since Dec. 16, the extent of staffing shortages and how many post offices have switched to delivering only packages.
Desai Abdul-Razzaaq, a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson, said in an email to the Minneapolis Star Tribune that delivery in the Twin Cities is "stable with improvements in many areas." The postal service also issued a statement Friday saying it would review Craig's letter and respond directly to her.
A federal judge in October ruled that cost-saving measures DeJoy made ahead of the 2020 election hurt mail delivery. President Joe Biden in April signed the Postal Service Reform Act with the intent of modernizing the postal system.
The postal service reported on Friday that from Oct. 1 through Dec. 23, 91.6% of first-class mail nationwide was delivered on time, although winter storms affected delivery in some areas, the Star Tribune reported.