WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement after the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it is moving forward with changes to mail processing operations at the Iron Mountain Mail Processing Center despite concerns Peters raised at a recent oversight hearing with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and other USPS officials:

“I am alarmed by the Postal Service’s decision to move forward with changes to the Iron Mountain Mail Processing Facility, despite my repeated calls to pause any changes that could harm mail delivery for Michiganders. Just last month, as Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I convened a hearing with Postmaster General DeJoy and other USPS officials to discuss the impacts of its proposed network plans, and urged the Postal Service to pause these changes until it studied the full impact they will have on mail service in the Upper Peninsula and in communities across the United States. 

“UP residents depend on the Postal Service to deliver vital medications, financial documents, and lab tests that are critical to their wellbeing. Given the serious service disruptions and increased costs that similar Postal Service changes led to in other states, I am extremely concerned about the potential impact this could have for communities across the Upper Peninsula. I will always fight to protect reliable mail delivery in Michigan and across the country – and I call on USPS leadership to reverse this decision until they can show the public that it will not harm the mail service they are counting on.” 

Peters has championed efforts to protect the Postal Service and its 250-year tradition of delivery service to all Americans. Last month, Peters convened a hearing with key USPS officials to examine proposed changes to its delivery network. In February, Peters wrote a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy requesting further details into changes at the Iron Mountain Processing Center. In 2022, Peters authored and led passage of a historic, bipartisan law to set the Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The law made the first major reforms to the Postal Service in more than 15 years, including requiring six-day delivery.  

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