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Georgia lawmakers call on USPS to address metro Atlanta mail delays

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Published  April 5, 2024 12:09am EDT
Palmetto
FOX 5 Atlanta

Another Georgia lawmaker questioning USPS delays

Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson is joining other lawmakers on both side of the aisle who are raising concerns with the United State Postal Service experiencing delays in metro Atlanta.

ATLANTA - More Georgia lawmakers are calling on the United States Postal Service to fix the mail delay problems in metro Atlanta. 

"It's ridiculous. I'm really upset about it," said Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson. 

Rep. Johnson says he first learned about the mail problems from constituents saying they weren't getting absentee ballots. 

"And my assurance to them was, ‘Hang on, you'll get your ballot.’ But I was disappointed after the election to learn that so many of those folks had not received their ballots," Johnson said.  

FOX 5 has been reporting on a growing list of problems and delays in the metro area, stemming from the USPS Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto. 

The facility opened earlier this year to consolidate mail distribution and make delivery more efficient. 

Workers there have reported stacks of delayed mail and packages, and trucks waiting for hours in long lines to get into the facility. 

"It's a problem that has been ongoing. It's widespread, and it's unfortunate," Johnson said.  

Postal problems persist in metro Atlanta

There is growing anger over Georgia's postal problems. Dysfunction has plagued Atlanta's biggest distribution center in Palmetto for months. Members of Congress in our area on both sides of the aisle have demanded to talk with the postmaster general.

That's why Johnson and three other congressional representatives sent this letter to postmaster general Louis Dejoy, demanding answers and solutions to the problems. 

They also want to know what the USPS is doing for affected customers. 

"The buck has to stop somewhere with this, and it stops right at the desk of Louis Dejoy," Johnson said.  

An interview request with USPS on Thursday afternoon was declined, but representatives offered to answer questions by email. As of Thursday evening, those questions remained unanswered. 

Other Georgia lawmakers have already sent inquiries of their own to the Postmaster General and still have not received responses. 

Johnson says this needs to get fixed before it prevents people who rely on mail-in voting from voting in the consequential November election. 

"This is very worrisome about what may happen in the 2024 election and then be able to blame it not on voter suppression, but on operational difficulties at the post office," Johnson said.