Ossoff: Changes at the US Postal Service should start at the top

ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – Georgia State Senator Jon Ossoff held a press conference Wednesday to announce a “major bill” that would change the U.S. Postmaster General appointment and term.

The bill in Congress, titled the Postmaster General Reform Act of 2024, would make the Postmaster General a presidentially appointed position, rather than a board-appointed position. The Postmaster General would also have a five-year term, renewable for an additional five years. Currently, the Postmaster General does not have a fixed term.

“Postal workers work hard every day to deliver the mail on time. But when they don’t have the competent leadership and management at the top to do their jobs, we see performance deficiencies like we saw in Georgia,” Ossoff said.

Under the bill, the Senate would participate in the appointment of the Postmaster General and provide “advice and consent” to the President.

“This job has such an impact on our daily lives that elected officials must have the opportunity to ask the tough questions about whether or not a candidate is qualified for this job,” he said. “This job is so important that there must be a proper interview.”

Ossoff has not been shy in his criticism of the U.S. Postal Service. The service’s Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto has been plagued with problems ranging from clogged mail trucks to delayed or lost packages since it opened in February. Ossoff launched an investigation a month after the center opened, asking what was causing the delays.

In August, an audit by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General found that the distribution center faced “serious challenges” due to, among other things, staff shortages, lack of training and lack of supervision.

Ossoff said if the bill passes, it would take effect upon the appointment of the next U.S. Postmaster General. Louis DeJoy, the current Postmaster General, was appointed in 2020.

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