Henrico Times

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) along with U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, and Rep. Jennifer McClellan gathered to meet with U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding the ongoing mail delays affecting communities in Virginia and the recent reforms implemented by the United States Postal Service (USPS).

During the meeting, Wittman expressed, “Today, we met with Postmaster DeJoy for a productive conversation and voiced what we’ve been hearing for months: mail delivery in the Commonwealth is falling short for Virginians who rely on it. It was encouraging to hear the postmaster accept responsibility for the problems, share data about recent improvement, and pledge to make the Richmond Distribution Center a top-notch performer in necessary postal reforms. But it’s clear that USPS has a long way to go in regaining the trust of Virginians. This meeting is just the beginning and we will continue to press for increased transparency, greater engagement with the public, and a higher standard of service for the communities it serves.”

The meeting was prompted by a report from the USPS Inspector General (IG) on the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) in Sandston. This facility, the first consolidated processing center in the country, was opened to centralize outgoing mail and package processing as part of USPS’s 10-year Delivering for America plan. The report identified various issues at local, regional, and national levels that have adversely affected service in Virginia. These issues range from pieces of mail falling off conveyor belts and being lost to poor coordination between mail processing machines and trucks transporting mail to and from the facility, raising concerns about the efficiency and cost-saving promises of the RPDC model.

The lawmakers emphasized the need for increased transparency, public engagement, and a higher level of service from USPS to address the challenges faced by Virginians due to mail delays. The meeting concluded with a commitment to ongoing discussions and efforts to improve the postal service's performance and restore public trust in its operations.