US Senators request Inspector General audit of Minnesota-North Dakota Postal Service

Dec. 20—Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar have formally requested that the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service conduct a full audit of the Minnesota-North Dakota District following persistent reports across Minnesota of delayed and unreliable mail service.

These reports drew considerable attention in November, beginning with

a symbolic picket

of rural carriers in Bemidji protesting unsustainable working conditions and the alleged prioritization of Amazon packages over other mail.

The senators' offices later held

a listening session in Bemidji

and heard further testimony from residents and postal workers on Dec. 5.

"We believe it is time for the Office of the Inspector General to investigate the dysfunction of the MN-ND district," the senators wrote in a letter on Tuesday, Dec. 19. "Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service as an essential service. ... But too often, the Postal Service is falling short in meeting the reasonable expectations of Minnesotans."

The senators pointed out the importance of mail, including the delivery of medicine, social security checks and other important items. They also shared their disappointment with the response they have received from the United States Postal Service.

"Even more concerning is that attempts to elevate the concerns of Minnesotans to the USPS have either

been dismissed or met with assurances that everything is fine

— that the reports of our constituents are incorrect," they wrote. "This lack of transparency deepens our concern that the serious issues in the MN-ND district are not receiving adequate attention."

The Office of the Inspector General is an independent agency within the USPS. Audits conducted by the Inspector General aim to provide an informed, unbiased view of postal operations with a focus on preventing misuse of funds, promoting efficiency and integrity, and sharing information with the USPS Board of Governors, congress and USPS management.

Klobuchar and Smith, in their request for a full audit, are seeking answers to the following issues:

1. Data integrity and reporting — Is the Postal Service's data on deliveries in the MN-ND district accurate? Is this data appropriately available to customers, congress and the public? What does the data show about the district's ability to meet service standards?

2. Staffing and recruitment — Is the MN-ND district adequately staffed? Are efforts to improve staffing levels working? Are there additional steps that the Postal Service should take to improve staffing in the district?

1. Did the district adequately work to hire seasonal workers for the peak holiday season, especially in communities like Rochester, Duluth and Bemidji, where there are frequent disruptions around the peak season?

2. How many new staff has the district hired in the last year? How many of those individuals are still employed by the USPS?

3. Is the district using its full scope of authority to improve recruitment and retention of workers?

3. Areas of interest — Where have service disruptions been most prevalent in the district? Has the district adequately tracked this information and taken steps to fix the issues causing disruptions?

4. Capacity — At the current capacity of workers and infrastructure, can the MN-ND district deliver mail in accordance with service standards? Could they do so at their full workforce capacity?

The senators have also introduced

bipartisan legislation

addressing the transparency of the Postal Service, and have both sent letters to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding the disruptions caused by increased Amazon package delivery and

decried the USPS's response.

In September

they pressed the USPS for answers

about a payroll error that led to 53,000 rural carriers missing or receiving only a partial paycheck,

and again

when a similar issue was reported earlier this month which affected 2,200 rural carriers.

A full copy of the senators' most recent letter requesting an audit by the Office of Inspector General can be found on

Senator Smith's website.