In key Senate hearing, Sinema raises concerns over Postal Service delays, election mail priority, and lack of communication
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema spoke today during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing about concerns with changes to the United States Postal Service. Sinema questioned Postmaster General Louis Dejoy about his lack of communication to Arizona’s state election officials, the importance of preventing consolidations of postal processing plants in Arizona, and the need to ensure Arizona’s mail, including ballots, is processed in a timely and efficient manner.
“Over the past week, my office has heard from over 18,000 Arizonans about the importance of the Postal Service. Arizonans want to ensure the Postal Service will continue to deliver prescription drugs, assist small businesses, and support their right to vote,” said Sinema.
Sinema is a longtime advocate for the U.S. Postal Service in Arizona. Recently, Sinema cosponsored the bipartisan Postal Service Emergency Assistance Act—legislation providing the Postal Service with up to $25 billion in emergency COVID-19 funding, and ensuring the Postal Service only uses the funding for coronavirus-related losses, expenses, or supplies to protect its workforce and customers. The bipartisan bill also requires the Postmaster General to provide Congress with a plan to ensure the long term solvency of the Postal Service. Sinema also successfully joined her colleagues earlier this week in calling on the Postmaster General to testify about recent changes that were negatively impacting service in Arizona, and across the nation.
In addition to her work advocating for the U.S. Postal Service during the ongoing public health crisis, Sinema has long championed Arizona communities’ local postal service. In July, the Munds Park Post Office contractor discontinued their work. Sinema and her team of social workers diligently worked with the U.S. Postal Service regarding the importance of a quick re-opening, and, a few weeks later, Sinema announced that the U.S. Postal Service secured a new contractor with mail delivery and regular retail services resuming at the post office. Sinema led an Arizona Congressional delegation letter last year to support and protect postal standards in Arizona and ensure the Cherrybell postal processing plant in Tucson was not closed or consolidated.