WASHINGTON, DC – During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) demanded that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy finally provide detailed information about the impact of his misguided proposal to downsize and relocate mail processing operations from Reno to Sacramento, which would hurt Nevadans. Senator Rosen blasted Postmaster DeJoy for neglecting to listen to local Nevada leaders, businesses, and residents, and sounded the alarm on the negative impacts the plan will have on mail service reliability.
Reno Gazette Journal – Angry senators hammer Postmaster DeJoy over USPS changes affecting delivery service
By Mark Robison
Key Points:
- Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faced a barrage of unhappy senators Tuesday as he defended his Delivering for America plan that is restructuring mail service across the country.
- Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, wasn’t having any of DeJoy’s promises about improved service.
- “Your proposed plan includes transferring mail processing operations from Reno out of state to California, which will negatively impact mail delivery service for Nevadans,” she said.
- “Under your proposal, if one of my constituents in Reno were to mail a birthday card to her mother who lives on the other side of town, the letter is going to be driven 130 miles over to Sacramento, California, and then sent 130 miles back to Nevada to reach its final destination.”
- “Your trucks will need to go through the Donner Pass,” Rosen said, adding that it’s closed on average 37 days a year due to weather and wildfires.
- “You want to sacrifice 10% of my folks in rural Nevada?” Rosen said. “I have rural Nevadans, veterans and seniors that still rely on (traditional delivery times). If you’re in the 10%, it’s everything.”
- “You don’t get to sacrifice those living in my rural areas who are subject to harsher weather in the name of cost savings,” she added. “The Postal Service has an obligation to deliver to everyone.”
This is Reno – Rosen grills postmaster on plans to relocate Reno mail processing
By Kristen Hackbarth
Key Points:
- U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., on Tuesday grilled U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy on his agency’s plan to relocate mail processing for northern Nevada to a facility in Sacramento, California. The exchange was part of a hearing held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which Rosen is a member.
- Rosen, along with U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., has been working since February to stop the U.S. Postal Service from moving mail processing from Reno’s main post office on Vassar Street to a facility more than 100 miles away.
- USPS said it would save an estimated $3-4 million annually by moving outgoing mail processing to Sacramento. Rosen, however, said she’s repeatedly asked for data USPS officials used to develop its plan but it has never been provided.
- “I would like to understand what analysis you undertook to conclude that moving mail processing from Reno to Sacramento would benefit Nevadans,” Rosen said to DeJoy. “Your staff has continued to assert your plan won’t undermine delivery standards for Nevada, but they have not been able to explain how this is possible or provide me any of that data you’ve collected.”
Las Vegas Sun – Sparks fly as Sen. Rosen grills USPS chief on Reno mail plans
Key Points:
- Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen lambasted Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service in a Senate committee hearing Tuesday over what Nevada’s junior senator called their misguided proposal to downsize and relocate mail processing operations from Reno to Sacramento, Calif.
- The effect of the proposal, first announced in February, would spur unnecessary delays for postal customers in Northern Nevada, including elderly Nevadans and veterans who depend on the mail for delivery of prescription medicines and Social Security benefits, among other documents and packages.
- Rosen then asked DeJoy if he knew how many days a year the Donner Pass was closed by extreme weather conditions.
- “Why would I know that,” responded DeJoy, who has resisted several calls to resign but can only be removed by the nine-member U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.
- “Well, you’re the postmaster general, and you’re saying that you’re going to go over this,” Rosen said. “So, let me tell you. There were 15 road closures for over 37 days of closures just last winter alone. ‘
- “Your staff has continued to assert that your plan won’t undermine delivery standards for Nevada, but they haven’t been able to explain how this is possible or provide me (with) any of the data you’ve collected,” Rosen said. “… Your team, they came and met with us, but they have not engaged with stakeholders in Nevada. I have talked to every one of our city councils. They have yet to receive data. And Senator Cortez Masto, myself, and Congressman Amodei didn’t receive it either.”
KTVN Reno – Congressional Hearing Held Tuesday to Discuss Possible USPS Distribution Center Relocation
Reporter: “Reno’s mail processing center took center stage for a few minutes at a congressional hearing today. U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen from Nevada pressed the postmaster general for more details on how moving northern Nevada’s mail processing services to Sacramento would impact the state.”
Senator Rosen: “Did you collect data on the potential impact to mail service from severe weather conditions on Donner Pass? Yes or no please.”
KOLO Reno – Rosen demands info from DeJoy on mail processing center move during hearing
Anchor: “A major clash today in Washington, D.C. between Senator Jacky Rosen and the U.S. Postmaster General. At the center of the confrontation is your mail delivery. The senator says right now it takes an average of four days to deliver a letter in northern Nevada but the standard is two. To make matters worse, the postmaster general is now proposing to move Reno’s mail processing facility to Sacramento to save money. Senator Rosen says for at least one month, the U.S. postmaster general has failed to answer questions asked by anyone in northern Nevada. What you’re about to see is the result of that fallout.”
KRNV Reno – Sen. Rosen clashes with USPS over proposed Nevada mail rerouting plan in heated hearing
Anchor: “Rosen and the rest of the Nevada delegation remains staunchly opposed to the rerouting of local mail through Sacramento under a cost-cutting USPS measure intended to be implemented in January. DeJoy saying USPS didn’t specifically analyze the impacts of this plan to seniors or veterans.”
KVVU Las Vegas – Proposal to move USPS operations from Reno to Sacramento could impact all of Nevada
Senator Rosen: “You don’t get to sacrifice those living in my rural areas or subject to harsher weather in the name of cost savings. The postal service has an obligation to deliver to everyone.”
Postmaster DeJoy: “Senator, we intend to meet the service standards.”
Senator Rosen: “You’re not meeting it now. You have not provided us the data. I hope to see the data by the end of the day, please.”
KSNV Las Vegas – During Senate hearing, Rosen blasts postmaster general on proposed downsizing of Reno mail processing facility
Anchor: “Congressional leaders grilled top USPS officials today in an oversight hearing on Capitol Hill. Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen focused on the service’s controversial plan to downsize the Reno distribution facility. Rosen and the rest of the Nevada delegation remain opposed to the proposal, which would require northern Nevada mail to be sorted through a distribution center in Sacramento. Under questioning from Rosen, the postmaster general said the plan would slow delivery times for 10 percent of northern Nevadans.”
Anchor: “In response to Rosen’s questions, DeJoy said that USPS didn’t specifically analyze how this plan would affect seniors and veterans. Well, the postal service intends to make the transition in January of 2025.”
KOH-AM Reno – During Senate hearing, Rosen blasts postmaster general on proposed downsizing of Reno mail processing facility
Anchor: “The postmaster general, speaking of the mail, forced to answer a number of questions about a very controversial plan to move local mail processing from Reno to Sacramento. This happened in a Senate hearing this morning..”
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