Emerson Comments on USPS Decision to Close Facilities

Statement

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today responded to the announcement that the U.S. Postal Service would be closing mail processing facilities in Cape Girardeau and Springfield, Missouri, with the following statement:

"I'm incredibly disappointed not only with this decision, but also in the way it was communicated to the communities that rely on these facilities for the timely delivery of the mail they entrust to the USPS. I understand the financial challenges facing the Postal Service, but I do not accept that the way to meet these challenges is to eliminate valued facilities, reduce service and reliability, and slow the delivery of mail. It's absolutely counter-intuitive.

"For postal customers in the Cape Girardeau and Springfield areas, this means their mail will require a minimum of two days for local delivery, because the mail now has to travel 100 miles to be sorted. While the USPS should be focused on eliminating redundancies and management overlap, it is instead getting rid of the postal employees who work closest to their customers. I'm frustrated and disappointed in this decision. The Postal Service acts as though it doesn't trust its own employees and it doesn't care about its customers, and they are never going to stop losing money with a mind-set like that."

Source