Who’s correct in mail dispute between Sen. Josh Hawley and Postmaster General?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Hawley said about 75% of parcels in Missouri and Kansas weren't delivered on time.
- Steiner said 86.7% of mail was delivered on time.
- Hawley noted Steiner got a $305,781 bonus last year and urged respectful dialogue.
Sen. Josh Hawley said the top official at the U.S. Postal Service should resign if mail delivery delays in Missouri aren’t quickly remedied.
Postmaster General David Steiner responded to a scathing attack from Hawley, a Missouri Republican, who accused his office of poor performance in Kansas and Missouri.
The tense exchange occurred during a June 24 hearing in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee on reforming the Postal Service’s business model. Hawley said the Postal Service wasn’t delivering mail on time in Missouri and Kansas for about 75% of parcels.
Hawley chided Steiner for not knowing about an instance in St. Louis where thousands of pieces of mail were dumped. He also took issue with late deliveries and Steiner receiving a $305,781 bonus last year.
“Frankly, if things don’t get better, you ought to resign, because you’re not doing the job,” Hawley said. “You’re leaving your good postal workers out there, you’re hanging them out to dry. They don’t make near what you do, they’re working their butts off, they’re getting blamed, and you’re getting the bonus.”
In a letter to Hawley dated June 25, Steiner disputed Hawley’s claim and said that he never reached out to him about the mail dumping in St. Louis and that the Postal Service was improving on delivery times in the state.
“It was unfortunate that you did not attend the meeting with the other members of the Missouri congressional delegation in November, because my team and I explained in detail the efforts we were making to correct the longstanding problems in the state’s facilities,” Steiner wrote.
He also countered Hawley’s claims on delivery times, saying 49.6% of mail was delivered in advance, 86.7% was delivered on time and 95.3% was delivered within one day of the estimated delivery time. He closed the letter asking for more respectful dialogue in the future.
“On a personal note, I was raised in the South, and my mother taught me to treat all people with a respectful level of decorum. I will expect that level from you in any future interactions,” Steiner said.
Hawley responded to the Postmaster General’s response on social media, saying that Steiner was “complaining I was too harsh when I asked him why mail isn’t being delivered.”
“Newsflash: in Missouri, we expect the government to DO ITS JOB,” Hawley said on X. “No bonuses; just mail delivered ON TIME.”
