The Proposed Relocation Would Mean Delayed Mail Delivery Of Essentials Like Medication And Social Security Checks, And Lost Jobs In Nevada
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined her Nevada Congressional delegation colleagues Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Representative Mark Amodei (R-NV-02) in a letter expressing their serious concern to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the proposed relocation of the Reno Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to California. This month, USPS determined it would likely downsize the Reno P&DC to a Local Processing Center and relocate the mail processing operations to Sacramento, California. The bipartisan group of lawmakers expressed their concerns over delayed mail delivery for families in northern Nevada, and they requested information about its impact to mail service reliability and jobs in the community.
“We are concerned about the plan to downsize the Reno P&DC and move its operations to California and frustrated by the lack of transparency from USPS about the process for making this significant determination,” wrote the members. “Sending Nevadans’ mail to California does not seem like a promising way of improving this deficiency. The snowy mountains and often difficult road conditions between Reno and Sacramento pose a major challenge to on-time mail delivery, furthering concerns about service delays if mail is being shipped out of state only to later be sent back to Nevada.”
“The proposed downsizing could severely impede on-time mail service in Northern Nevada, which is essential for those who rely on the Postal Service to receive their medication, Social Security checks, notes from loved ones, and much more. USPS is also how many Nevadans conduct commerce, pay their bills, vote in federal and state elections, and respond to time-sensitive matters,” they continued. “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs alone fills about 80 percent of veterans’ prescriptions by mail. The veterans receiving these medications – among the 220,000 veterans in Nevada – rely on the Postal Service for timely delivery of their often life-saving prescriptions. Delays for these men and women who have served our country is not an option.”
The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
Senator Cortez Masto has been leading efforts to address the uptick in mail theft and attacks on letter carriers in Nevada. Last year, she introduced the Postal Service Reform Act of 2023 to continue protecting letter carriers on their routes. She has also consistently worked to address delays at the USPS and ensure the agency has what it needs to ensure timely delivery of prescriptions and other mail critical to Nevada veterans, businesses, and families.
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