20 State Attorneys General Sue Over USPS Slowdown

October 9, 2021 News, Politics

The U.S. Postal Service’s controversial slowdown of mail delivery that began October 1 is sparking a pushback from 20 attorneys general.

On Thursday, the state officials — ranging from California to New York — sued the Postal Regulatory Commission, alleging that the federal oversight agency didn’t fully vet the broad-ranging plan before the USPS moved forward with it.

The Postal Regulatory Commission, or PRC, is the independent federal agency with oversight over the Postal Service’s operations. The lawsuit claims the PRC only examined a small part of a 10-year plan created by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, which the complaint alleges will “transform virtually every aspect of the Postal Service.”

Axios reports:

The USPS argued that the slowdown would save money, but the changes could affect people who depend on the mail for their businesses, medication and bills, according to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

“The Plan reflects multiple unprecedented changes in the Postal Service’s operations and service, at a time when reliance on the mail remains at historic levels,” the attorneys general said in a statement. The suit alleges that the PRC did not give an advisory opinion for most of DeJoy’s plan.

“The Postal Service has only submitted two requests for an advisory opinion [from the PRC], which represent only a small portion of the Plan’s scope,” the suit alleges.

USPS mail slowdown sparks lawsuit from 20 state attorneys general https://t.co/OaBZk5I0G2

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 9, 2021