The Proposed Relocation Would Mean Delayed Mail Delivery Of Essentials Like Medication And Social Security Checks, And Lost Jobs In Nevada
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led her Nevada Congressional delegation colleagues Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Representative Mark Amodei (R-NV-02) in a letter expressing their serious concern to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the proposed relocation of the Reno Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to California. This month, USPS determined it would likely downsize the Reno P&DC to a Local Processing Center and relocate the mail processing operations to Sacramento, California. The bipartisan group of lawmakers expressed their concerns over delayed mail delivery for families in northern Nevada, and they requested information about its impact on mail service reliability and jobs in the community.
“We are concerned about the plan to downsize the Reno P&DC and move its operations to California, and frustrated by the lack of transparency from USPS about the process for making this significant determination,” wrote the members. “Sending Nevadans’ mail to California does not seem like a promising way of improving this deficiency. The snowy mountains and often difficult road conditions between Reno and Sacramento pose a major challenge to on-time mail delivery, furthering concerns about service delays if mail is being shipped out of state only to later be sent back to Nevada.”
“The proposed downsizing could severely impede on-time mail service in Northern Nevada, which is essential for those who rely on the Postal Service to receive their medication, Social Security checks, notes from loved ones, and much more. USPS is also how many Nevadans conduct commerce, pay their bills, vote in federal and state elections, and respond to time-sensitive matters,” they continued. “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs alone fills about 80 percent of veterans’ prescriptions by mail. The veterans receiving these medications – among the 220,000 veterans in Nevada – rely on the Postal Service for timely delivery of their often life-saving prescriptions. Delays for these men and women who have served our country is not an option.”
The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over USPS, Senator Rosen has been leading efforts to support timely and efficient postal service operations for all Nevadans. Last year, she helped Roy Burson, a disabled Vietnam War veteran in Reno, and his wife, Hilary, get their mail, and life-saving medications, delivered to their home again after the USPS announced mail delivery service would end at the Burson’s home. She also helped pass the Postal Service Reform Act to ensure the long-term financial stability of USPS, provide high-quality health care to postal workers, guarantee six-day mail delivery for decades to come, and allow USPS to better serve Americans, while also increasing transparency, accountability, and efficiency.
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