U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) believes the United States Postal Service (USPS) is falling short of its responsibility to the American people.
Aderholt is leading a bipartisan effort to investigate growing problems with the country’s mail system.
The congressman discussed the issue Friday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program.”
“The service has gotten worse,” Aderholt said. “And not only for individual but also for businesses.”
Aderholt gave an example of how delays with the USPS can have a major impact on the lives of his constituents.
RELATED: Dale Strong calls for North Alabama Postal Service distribution facility
“We got a lady who said that her electricity was almost cut off because the postal service delivered her payment almost three weeks after she mailed it,” he explained. “And we’re just seeing this especially with newspapers as well. The newspapers won’t get their newspapers out to their customers so that when they get it, it’s not a week old.”
The lawmaker said he’s working to put forward legislation that will help hold the USPS more accountable.
“I’m looking at legislation to introduce that would require that there be a 95% delivery rate on time delivery, right for newspapers, and they will have to put in an annual report to make sure they’re held to that standard. And also I’d like to do something like if they are not delivering the mail on time and doing it in a consistent manner, then also that there would be a hold on being able to go up on postage.”
Aderholt isn’t the only member of the Alabama Congressional delegation to highlight this problem. U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) is calling for a new facility to help speed up the deliveries for north Alabama.
“I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “I had heard that he was doing that. I totally support that. And of course a lot of my constituents get mail through the Huntsville facilities because we’re right on the edge of the Huntsville area. So a lot of my constituents would benefit from that…So I think it’s an excellent idea and especially the growth of the Huntsville area. I think they needed a processing facility there…and hopefully it would take some of the volume off of the Birmingham facility, my office processing facility.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
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