As Whatcom mail delays persist, legislators are asking Postal Service these questions

Whatcom County’s representative in Congress is still seeking answers about slow mail delivery from Louis DeJoy, head of the U.S. Postal Service.

As The Bellingham Herald reported recently, many Whatcom County residents went without mail delivery for several days — and sometimes more than a week — during the winter holidays.

Delays have persisted since then, according to emails from Bellingham Herald readers and posts on various social media.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, has written DeJoy a second letter expressing his concerns.

Larsen, who represents Whatcom County and the rest of the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House, was joined by U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Kirkland Democrat whose 1st District included Whatcom County until redistricting took effect this year.

“Following our July letter, we continued to receive regular reports of delayed mail across the region,” Larsen and DelBene said n their letter.

“Starting in mid-December, we increasingly heard a number of constituent complaints of significant daily mail delivery delays and complete lack of service in parts of Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and other areas of Whatcom County. While brief delays due to weather and the busy holiday period are understandable, many constituents reported no mail delivery for over a week,” Larsen and DelBene said.

A Postal Service official told The Herald in December that staffing shortages were mostly to blame for slow deliveries and long lines at post offices.

But delivery issues have continued.

“I am not upset with our postal delivery staff. They are doing the best they can,” Laura Landrum of Bellingham told The Herald in an email.

“I’m furious with the ineptitude of the (Postal Service) leadership,” Landrum said in a social media post that she included with her email.

DeJoy has been under fire for changes he made at the Postal Service since his May 2020 appointment by former President Trump.

In their letter, Larsen and DelBene asked DeJoy for:

▪ A detailed list of all steps that the Postal Service is taking to ensure mail delivery when the volume of letters and packages is high, including the December holiday period.

▪ Specific Postal Service policy that requires employees to prioritize package delivery over letters, flats and other classes of mail.

▪ Steps that the Postal Service is taking to improve communication with its customers.

▪ Steps that the Postal Service is taking to address its workforce shortage, both in hiring and worker retention.

▪ A description of training and resources provided to new employees, and how supervisors are trained — especially with regard to handling busy periods.

Larsen and DelBene also asked DeJoy if the Postal Service needs additional resources from Congress.

“We stand ready to work with you to ensure the delivery of mail for our constituents and look forward to your timely response,” they said.