Rep. Pete Stauber calls USPS letter response on problems in Bemidji ‘dismissive’ and ‘extremely disappointing’

BEMIDJI — U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber, who represents Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, has weighed in on the ongoing issues with the postal service that have been reported in Bemidji. His office also shared a letter it received from the U.S. Postal Service responding to his questions.

Concerns have been growing in Bemidji for several weeks regarding mail delivery and the working conditions of postal carriers, starting in November with a symbolic picket staged by rural carriers and eventually leading to a listening session on Dec. 5 hosted by the offices of U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar.

Stauber, who has also been receiving calls to his office from community members and postal workers alike, had a staff member attend the meeting and shared that he had sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding answers to the issues reported.

In the letter, the USPS government liaison describes the reports provided by postal carriers to the media that they have been told to prioritize Amazon packages over other mail as “misinformation.”

“Let me begin by stating unequivocally that the U.S. Postal Service does not prioritize the delivery of mail or packages based on the customer or sender, including businesses such as Amazon,” the letter read. “This is an unfortunate and inexplicable falsehood that I regret seeing congressional offices also expressing publicly.”