Today Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), and Congressman John Delaney (D-MD) sent a letter to Postmaster General & CEO Patrick Donahue about recent postal service disruptions.

“A plan must be in place to protect worker safety and ensure that no homes or businesses experience multiple-day delays,” they wrote. “These service disruptions require explanation and, more importantly, an immediate resolution.”

The full text of the letter is below:

The Honorable Patrick R. Donahue
Postmaster General & CEO
United States Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza Southwest
Washington, DC 20260-0004

February 21, 2014

Dear Mr. Donahue:

We are writing to express our deep concern over service disruptions over the past week. We have heard from constituents who have not received mail delivery since Wednesday, February 12, 2014. This is unacceptable.

As you know, your customers depend on timely service to receive urgent mailings, including bills and prescriptions. We fully agree that it is necessary to protect worker safety in inclement weather and the evenings, particularly in light of the tragic death of Tyson Barnette, a US Postal Service letter carrier who was killed while delivering mail after dark in Landover, MD. A plan must be in place to protect worker safety and ensure that no homes or businesses experience multiple-day delays. These service disruptions require explanation and, more importantly, an immediate resolution.

Please let us know what you are doing to immediately restore regular and reliable mail delivery to our constituents. Thank you for your prompt attention to this issue.

Sincerely,

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Congressman John Delaney (D-MD)