ATLANTA — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before a Senate committee Thursday morning, during which he again faced the pointed questioning of Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and other committee members.
DeJoy testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for a hearing that was focused on the Postal Service's performance amid ongoing system changes.
Ossoff was unsparing in his criticism of DeJoy in a similar hearing earlier this year and again struck that tone Thursday.
"Delivery in Georgia has been abysmal this year... you need to do better for my constituents in Georgia," Ossoff said.
At several instances, the exasperated postmaster general tried to interject -- in response to one question posed by Ossoff, DeJoy said, "we've been through this."
"We've been through this? Well, we're going through it again," Ossoff responded.
The Georgia senator focused on a current 75% USPS on-time mail delivery rate in Georgia -- about 10% below the national average, 5% below this same period last year and 17% below the fiscal year 2024 USPS target.
"Are we where we need to be?" Ossoff asked, referencing DeJoy's testimony from April when the postmaster general said, "I think we'll get where we need to be in about 60 days."
"We're where we're gonna be for a little bit, yes," DeJoy said.
"Let me assure you that for my constituents in Georgia, the mail being delivered on time 75% of the time is not where we need to be," Ossoff responded, "when you said 233 days ago that we would be where we need to be in 60 days."
The service changes have come this year in metro Atlanta and other locations with the USPS system-wide 10-year modernization drive, "Delivering for America." A central element of the plan involves centralized regional processing centers, and a new one opened in Palmetto for the metro Atlanta and north Georgia region early this year.
Severe mail delays followed around Atlanta, which have improved as the year has gone along -- though some issues remain. 11Alive's Liza Lucas was outside the facility Thursday morning, where trucks could be seen lined up waiting to deliver items.
RE-WATCH THE HEARING
In an April hearing this year, Sen. Ossoff was unsparing in his criticism of DeJoy following the Atlanta region's mail delays.
"If you don't fix it... I don't think you're fit for this job," Ossoff told DeJoy at a time when the region's on-time mail delivery rates had plummeted.
"I've got constituents with prescriptions that aren't being delivered. I've got constituents who can't pay their rent and their mortgage. I've got businesses who aren't able to ship products or receive supplies," Ossoff said in April.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was apologetic at time, while also defending the need for such facility changes. In the months since, First Class mail service has improved from the March low, but the latest data shows the state still has not fully rebounded.
Data released by the Postal Regulatory Commission for fiscal year 2024 Q4 shows Georgia continues to score the worst for on-time service for two-day First Class Single mail. These latest numbers from the postal service show Georgia with a score of 65% on-time performance, below the national average of 86% and nearly 30 points the target goal of 93%.
Meanwhile, Thursday's hearing comes amid peak holiday season for the postal service. Last week, USPS issued a statement saying the agency is "primed and ready," highlighting Delivering for America investments in the workforce, package processing and delivery operations. USPS also recently touted its service during the November general election, reporting nearly 100% of completed mail ballots were returned to election offices within a week.
11Alive has reached out to USPS for a statement in regards to the backlog of trucks.