最新杏吧原创

Dissatisfaction with the U.S. Postal Service.

Over the last 15 months, most every U.S. congressional member who represents the 最新杏吧原创 area 鈥� both Democrats and Republicans, from both sides of the Mississippi River 鈥斅爃ave lambasted postal service in the metropolitan area.

The newest member of the unhappy stampers sodality is U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican from Murphysboro, Illinois. His district includes Monroe County and parts of St. Clair County.

In a letter sent last week to the Postal Service鈥檚 inspector general, Bost asked for an audit of the 最新杏吧原创聽Processing and Distribution Center in Hazelwood.聽

In his communique, Bost notes that his constituents in Southern Illinois have ongoing complaints about mail delays, misdirected deliveries and lost items.

The letter claims that the problems have persisted despite postal management鈥檚 promises to improve operations following a 2022 audit.

鈥淲hen seniors fail to receive their medications on time or working families are hit with late fees for bills that never came, it鈥檚 clear something is broken,鈥� Bost said.

The complaints against the 最新杏吧原创 center go back to at least early 2024, when U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and then-U.S. Rep. Cori Bush wrote to then-Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to complain about shoddy mail service.

Then in September, four Republican members of Missouri鈥檚 U.S. House delegation, whose districts cover the 最新杏吧原创 metropolitan area in Missouri, complained about postal service.

U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner, Town and Country; Jason Smith, Salem; (now-retired) Blaine Luetkemeyer, St. Elizabeth; and Sam Graves, Tarkio,聽聽DeJoy and asked for major changes to fix 鈥渦nreliable mail service in eastern Missouri.鈥�

The letter specifically asked the Postal Service to audit the mail sorting and distribution center in Hazelwood.

The lawmakers also are concerned with how the USPS鈥檚 plan to聽聽will affect delivery to rural areas.聽

Then only one week after the Missouri quartet complained, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, Illinois, joined 18 other lawmakers to ask the post office to reconsider a plan the rural-delivery changes.

Budzinski, whose district includes parts of Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois, said the plan to save money can鈥檛 鈥渃ome at the expense of rural residents who ... depend on the Postal Service for medicine, food, paychecks and bills.鈥�

Also complaining about rural operations at the time was Hawley, a Missouri Republican,聽聽to complain about rural mail delivery.

And those complaints were logged before snow and ice storms in January, which prompted both new and renewed complaints.

Then in April, U.S. Sens. Hawley and Eric Schmitt sent a letter that repeated the request for an audit聽of the 最新杏吧原创 operations.

It was signed again by聽U.S. Reps. Wagner, Smith, Graves, and Luetkemeyer鈥檚 newly elected Republican successor, U.S. Rep. Bob Onder of Lake Saint Louis.聽聽

And let鈥檚 not forget the two Democratic U.S. senators from Illinois, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, who also have signed onto letters questioning the Postal Service鈥檚 performance and planning.

Tara L. Jarrett, a USPS spokesperson, said the service responds to any letters received by federal lawmakers.

Jarrett went on, however, to point out that the U.S.聽Postal Service Office of Inspector General聽is a separate agency and makes all decisions about conducting audits.

And, she said, 鈥淲e make every effort to comply with recommendations provided to us by the (inspector general) during any audit they conduct.鈥�

As to the latest complaint, Bost said his constituents simply deserve better service.

鈥淚f the system fails them,鈥� he said, 鈥渢here must be accountability.鈥�