Trone, Maryland Delegation Call for Improved Performance of the United States Postal Service in Maryland
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2022
Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov
Trone, Maryland Delegation Call for Improved Performance of the United States Postal Service in Maryland
Congressman Trone asks the Acting Executive Postmaster of Baltimore what steps can be taken to ensure communities in Western Maryland can receive their mail on time
BALTIMORE, MD — Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) and other members of the Maryland Delegation joined a House Oversight Committee hearing to learn more about what the United States Postal Service (USPS) is doing to alleviate delays in mail delivery across Maryland. The hearing was hosted by Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA).
The experts in attendance were as follows:
- Mr. Eric Gilbert, Acting Executive Postmaster of Baltimore
- Ms. Melinda Perez, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audit at the USPS Office of Inspector General
- Ms. Rictarsha Westmoreland, mail processing clerk and shop steward at an Incoming Mail Facility in the Baltimore area
- Mr. Chuck Metzger, controller for an East Baltimore non-profit ReBUILD Metro, which invests in communities by rebuilding homes and addressing housing inequity.
- The organization receives mail once a month at best and has donors whose checks have been lost and bills that do not come, resulting in late charges
You can watch Congressman Trone’s remarks here, and the entire hearing here.
According to the September 2021 Office of Inspector General’s report on Nationwide Service Performance, during the previous 18 months, the amount of mail and parcels delivered on time decreased for all mail classes. This was particularly true of the Baltimore region – serviced by the USPS’ Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center – which was among the worst, if not the worst, in the country when it came to delivering first-class mail. After the Cumberland Sorting Facility closed in 2012, Congressman Trone voiced concern that the prolonged delays in Baltimore, which now services Western Maryland, negatively affect communities across the state.
“In my district, which includes the most rural parts of Western Maryland, lack of broadband means many folks still pay bills by mail. And, in small towns without pharmacies, the Postal Service is the only way to get a prescription filled,” said Congressman David Trone during the hearing. “The timely delivery of the mail is critical to the lives and livelihoods of countless Americans. We can’t afford any further delay of these services. We owe it to the American people to get this right.”
During the hearing, Congressman Trone urged the Acting Executive Postmaster of Baltimore and the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audit to develop a quick but thorough plan to get the mail distribution center back on track for the millions of Marylanders who rely on USPS for bills, social security checks, and other vital services such as medication delivery.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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