Government & Politics
‘Matter of life and death.’ Moran warns DeJoy postal delays could be deadly in Kansas
Sen. Jerry Moran warned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in a Monday letter that delays to mail delivery could be the difference between life and death for Kansans who rely on the U.S. Postal Service for their prescriptions.
The Kansas Republican’s letter comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s newly confirmed postmaster general is facing heavy scrutiny of recent operational changes, including the removal of mail processing machines at facilities in Kansas City, Wichita and around the country.
“Serving a rural state like Kansas, I understand well the crippling impact that losing the Postal Service would have on rural communities across the country. The Postal Service is navigating unchartered [sic] waters but it cannot fail its responsibilities. Kansans have expressed grave concern with recent mail delays, especially those waiting for prescription deliveries as timely delivery is often a matter of life and death,” Moran wrote to DeJoy.
The Postal Service delivered more than 1.2 billion prescriptions last year, including the overwhelming majority of prescriptions from the Veterans Administration. Moran chairs the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Moran noted in the letter that he requested a meeting with DeJoy in June when he assumed leadership of the U.S. Postal Service, but was told that DeJoy “did not to engage with Congress for the time being.”
Moran urged DeJoy to engage with lawmakers on necessary reforms to the Postal Service, which he said require congressional action rather than “unilateral decisions made without the input of stakeholders and Congress.”
DeJoy is set to testify before the U.S. House Oversight Committee next week as he faces an escalating backlash against removal of the machines and other changes, such as elimination of overtime and late deliveries, that have sparked concerns about delivery delays.
The changes have coincided with President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on mail voting.
Despite requesting a mail ballot in Florida, Trump has claimed without evidence that increased mail voting in the 2020 election will lead to widespread voter fraud. Last week, he cited concerns about mail voting for his opposition to a Democratic proposal for emergency relief for the Postal Service, which has seen long-standing funding issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump began to shift his messaging on the issue Monday, seeking to shift the blame to Democrats.
“The U.S. Post Office (System) has been failing for many decades. We simply want to MAKE THE POST OFFICE GREAT AGAIN, while at the same time saving billions of dollars a year for American Taxpayers. Dems don’t have a clue!” Trump said on Twitter Monday in defense of DeJoy’s changes.
“SAVE THE POST OFFICE!” he added hours later.
The Postal Service relies on sales of postage for revenue rather than taxes.
The Postal Service consistently ranks as one of most popular federal agencies and Trump’s attacks have put pressure on Republicans to affirm their support for the institution, which many rural communities in GOP-leaning states rely on for basic needs.
“Where I grew up everybody believed the federal government should defend the country and deliver the mail. You could get into a debate on almost anything else,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican and member of Senate GOP leadership who has co-sponsored Maine Sen. Susan Collins’ bill to provide $25 billion in emergency funding to the USPS.
“All Missourians, especially seniors, veterans, and people in rural communities, depend on timely, reliable mail delivery,” Blunt said in a statement, without specifically referencing DeJoy.
Blunt said he fully supports including Collins’ legislation in the next COVID-19 relief package, noting that it also “requires the USPS Board of Governors to establish a plan to ensure the long-term solvency of the USPS.”
Moran and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, are also co-sponsors. Sen. Josh Hawley, the only senator from the Kansas City area who hasn’t signed onto the bill, said in a statement he is reviewing the legislation.
“The Trump administration recently made $10 billion available to the USPS and the money has not yet been spent,” said Hawley, R-Missouri.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the independent agency was struggling financially partly because of 2006 law that requires it to prepay retiree health benefits.
Rep. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican running for U.S. Senate, touted his support for bipartisan legislation to repeal this mandate and for legislation to ensure 6-day mail delivery continues.
“I have been a leading Republican supporter of the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS is a critical part of communications, health care, and business for Kansans. It’s especially essential for those in our rural areas across the Big First, where the postal service is often the only means of receiving mail,” Marshall said in a statement.
But Marshall didn’t comment directly on DeJoy’s operational changes to the Postal Service.
His office was also evasive on whether Marshall would support legislation that House Democrats plan to pass Saturday to block DeJoy’s changes, saying only that he would review the text of the bill when it becomes available.
Democrats from the region have been more vocal. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly called on the delegation to ensure the Postal Service remains protected, noting reports from the Associated Press and other news outlets on delays in deliveries of medication to veterans.
“I think it’s very disturbing that the Post Office is being a political pawn in all of this. That is an esteemed federal entity that has provided services, particularly to our rural Kansans, for over a century. They need to be supported and we need to do everything we can to ensure that what’s been going on at the federal government ceases and that instead of unraveling the postal system, that we reinforce it,” Kelly said Monday. “Because quite honestly in this time, we need them more than ever.”
The Wichita Eagle’s Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.
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