Senator Hassan, Granite Staters Discuss Harmful Impact of Postmaster General’s Changes & Importance of Reliable Postal Delivery

NEW HAMPSHIRE – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a virtual roundtable with Granite Staters yesterday to discuss the importance of the U.S. Postal Service for small businesses, medication delivery, and service members. Participants raised the harmful impact of the Postmaster General’s changes and the mail delivery delays that they have experienced.

“We really need the Postmaster General to reverse not only the decommissioning of machines but also some of the other operational changes he’s made. During this pandemic, Americans are relying on their postal service more than ever and it is unacceptable to impose operational changes especially without the full participation of postal workers and letter carriers who know this system the best—suddenly and without advance notice—in a way that really can continue to undermine the very important service that the Post Office provides. So I’m going to keep working on pressing for answers from [the Postmaster General],” said Senator Hassan.

Senator Hassan first heard from participants about medication deliveries and why these are so critical for families.

Dr. Marie-Elizabeth Ramas of Lamprey Health Care in Nashua shared, “I have several patients that are ill and that are homebound and that require their medications be sent to them at their home. And that has been delayed unfortunately for some of my patients.” Dr. Ramas continued, “I have one patient in particular who has heart failure and requires their medications in order to keep the water away from their lungs and their heart. That medication unfortunately was delayed and required my patient to go into the hospital setting in order to get care.”

Regan Lamphier of Nashua, who also works for the Postal Service, shared concerns that her husband’s insulin, which is mailed to their house, could be delayed. “Bill needs insulin to live. If the mail is delayed and he doesn’t get his insulin after a day, he’d be really sick. More than a day, he would definitely end up in the hospital,” said Lamphier.

Participants also discussed how mail delays have harmed their business operations.

Joe Cortese, the owner of NobleSpirit in Pittsfield, said, “We moved here specifically for the purpose of being within juxtaposition of a Post Office. The Post Office was 90 percent of the reason that we moved to Pittsfield…The significance of a Post Office was apparent to us even before we became an e-commerce business.”

Polly Cortese, who works with her husband at NobleSpirit, shared, “In the past month or so, our first class letters that would generally get to most places apart from California…within 2-5 days generally they get them in the middle of the country, they’re taking three weeks…In 20 years we’ve never experienced anything like this, it’s shocking.”

Maryjo Greene, a Certified Public Accountant in Amherst whose husband is a mail carrier, shared concerns over mail delays that she has experienced. “A lot of the paperwork comes through the mail…when the mail is not timely, it makes it very tricky for us to do our work,” said Greene. “It’s been very, very discouraging…when you send something out and your client is waiting for it, there’s only so many times you can say, we sent it out a couple weeks, I don’t know why you don’t have this. It’s very, very difficult.”

Deborah Luszey of Operation Care for Troops in Nashua – which sends care packages to service members overseas – expressed her concerns over troops not receiving their packages. She shared that they sent 1,188 packages out last month, and that by now, they would normally have received messages back but have not yet received anything.

“The U.S. Postal Service is the only way that we can get packages to the troops, I mean that’s it, there’s no other option,” said Luszey. “There are many people out there, that this is the only mail they get…I’m really concerned because if there’s any more of a slowdown, when are these boxes going to arrive?”

Senator Hassan is working to protect the Postal Service and reverse the harmful changes that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has made to the agency. Recently, Senator Hassan questioned the Postmaster General about the decommissioning of Manchester sorting machines, medication delivery, and what the Postal Service will do to ensure on-time ballot delivery. Senator Hassan also joined her colleagues in raising concerns over how these harmful changes are disproportionately impacting service members and their families. Additionally, Senator Hassan led the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation in calling for answers on mail delivery concerns that they have heard about from Granite Staters, and has repeatedly called for additional funding to support the U.S. Postal Service in the next COVID-19 relief package.

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