Happening now - House OverSight and the USPS significant delays in deliveries in predominantly Communities of Color UPDATED with Testimony & additional USPS-OIG reports
Oh you thought Congress forgot about Louis DeJoy(less) shenanigans, I am pleased to inform you: NO CONGRESS REMEMBERS and it’s on like Donkey Kong
The Updates are contained throughout the article - apologies that I didn’t update shortly after COB on February 14, 2022 I was otherwise preoccupied with Trump & Mazars’ news. Also I’m going to be out-of-pocket for the entirety of February 15, 2022 —which means it’s highly unlikely I’ll have the extra bandwidth to publish an article later today (Feb 15th) —clearly that’s entirely predicated on “how much gas I have left in my tank” but again sincere apologies for missing my self imposed Feb 14th Shortly After COB deadline. I genuinely dislike not meeting the expectations I set forth…
Good Morning and Happy Monday
Look anytime that I can reach back to the past and use that previous research to drag Louis DeJoy(less) through the filth is a good day. It is still perplexing how the FEC and DOJ does not (and likely never did have) the appetite to hold Louis DeJoy accountable. So let’s just shine a big-ol’ ray of sunlight on the filth that is DeJoy(less)…
Archived 2020 Twitter Threads
And as an added bonus this April 2020 Archived Twitter Thread regarding Jared Kushner
In September 2020 the Washington Post published the following article, assuming arguendo that every fact in that Wash Post article is completely accurate, I kind of laid it all on the mat
yes back in November 2020 - I had a lot of things to say and I insured that my followers/readers had the same access to the public documents I based countless twitter threads… I had a lot and I mean a lot to say by way of numerous threads, see TWUnroll found here a far more comprehensive TWUnroll thread can be found here… the NAACP’s November 2020 lawsuit, found here
And to be clear this is not the fault of any USPS carrier, this is completely on Louis DeJoy —For Example:
NOW for the @OIGUSPS Nov 6, 2020 Report USPS: Deployment of Operational Changes Delayed mail reported;
increased 21%from 2B pieces week ending 7/10/2- to 2.4B pieces for the week ending 7/31/20 Delayed mail, self-reported at post offices, increased 143%
https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2020/21-014-R21.pdf
Let’s be blunt - the data doesn’t lie and the concerns by Congress and Americans in general was in fact warranted Louis DeJoy should be relieved of his position IMMEDIATELY and subsequently charged because he knew exactly what he was doing https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2020/21-014-R21.pdf
La sigh it’s amazing to me how quickly some were to defend the indefensible. The Summer/Fall mail delays were NOT a figment of any of our imaginations IT WAS REAL USPS-OIG 11/6/20 Report AFFIRMS
https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2020/21-014-R21.pdf
Remember this?
If you want to reread a plethora of previous USPS research —I’d start here, it’s a master thread that I created and it was consistently updated, when warranted.
House OverSight Committee Live Stream
In the Chairman’s Opening Remarks, he noted that the Committee’s investigation discovered that one of out every three pieces of mailed delivery to the city of Baltimore is delivered significantly late…
Baltimore residents experience some of the worst postal service performance in the country. Single-Piece First-Class Mail designated for three-to-five-day delivery in the Baltimore area arrived on time only 63.2% of the time in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021.
Throughout 2020, Postal Service senior staff, including the Postmaster General, made consequential operational changes to mail and package delivery without consulting customers. These changes worsened delivery service performance in the Baltimore area and disrupted critical delivery services amidst a global pandemic to the detriment of mailers and customers. Recent performance in Baltimore has improved, but Baltimore has more often than not underperformed the nationwide average since Fiscal Year 2012.
This hearing will examine the root causes of postal service delays and the Postal Service’s plans to address them, as well as highlight the need for robust congressional oversight of the Postal Service.
Witness Panel -updated with links to testimony
Expect an update to this article after COB but I would recommend you take a moment and watch the Committee Hearing - or you can tune back in after 2PM today -again once the House Document Repository updates with the Witness Panel written testimony, I’ll update this article (apologies for not updating shortly after COB and yet here I am at 12:49AM updating the previous reporting) —a cursory review of each witness’ written testimony (applicable to USPS employees) there’s a running theme —the USPS-OIG reports (previously embedded in numerous articles) but I’ve taken the liberty of tracking down the various USPS-OIG Reports, see below
USPS-OIG Report: Mail Delivery and Customer Service
Operations, Select Baltimore Units, Baltimore Maryland, Report No. 21-194-R22, November 4, 2021
USPS OIG, Fiscal Year 2022 Peak Mailing Season Preparedness, Report No. 21-206-R22, November 19, 2021
USPS OIG, Nationwide Service Performance, Report No. 21-120-R21, September 20, 2021
USPS OIG, Operational Window Change Savings, Report No NO-AR-19-001, October 15, 2018
remediation to fix the issues but some of those efforts are greatly hampered for one very important reason: staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic
…2:00 p.m. ET, at the conclusion of the field hearing, Chairman Connolly and members of the Maryland congressional delegation will hold a press conference to recap the information uncovered at the hearing.
And I will strongly encourage you to read each of the witnesses written testimony (embedded below) because the facts contained in their testimony are pretty frank. I find when public servants speak with this kind of candor, it is both refreshing and educational.
Again in no way should you misconstrue this article as me being unfairly harsh on our USPS Carriers. It’s the opposite. My carrier has been our carrier for over fifteen years. He’s a hardworking (newly naturalized American Citizen, who I had the honor to help him navigate that monstrous spider web of Government Red Tape. He is genuinely the nicest carrier we’ve had.
A few months ago, he suddenly stopped delivering our Mail. By week three I was worried enough that I called our PostMaster. Sadly he had to take a few weeks off to travel back to his Country of Birth to bury his mother. When he returned it was like a long lost friend making their way back to you. Again my position on USPS carriers has never changed (see archived horribly long thread), we need them and they are vital to the USPS
Chairman Gerry E. Connolly's Opening Statement
Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney's Opening Statement
For Example:
Mr. Eric Gilbert, Acting Executive Postmaster, Baltimore U.S. Postal Service, Written Testimony
“The audit included findings of delayed mail, inaccurate reporting of mail conditions, and improper scanning. Maryland District management agreed with the OIG’s findings and has worked with Baltimore City leadership to implement processes to satisfy the recommendations..” whispers do you understand why I reminded you of the USPS OIG Report.
Ms. Melinda Perez, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audit Office of Inspector General U.S. Postal Service
“ To determine the extent of the service problems, we reviewed postal data and found many products in Baltimore had not met performance targets in over a year. Looking at the number of missing mail inquiries, we found Baltimore was well above the national average and the second worst of the major metropolitan areas.”
Open another city carrier training academy to efficiently train new carriers as they are hired.
“Postal management was responsive to four of our five recommendations, but they disagreed with our recommendation to prioritize and track the replacement of the broken equipment. Postal management said the Baltimore plant was a top priority for its
Processing Facility modernization plan, and therefore could be updated, expanded, or replaced as part of that plan”
Ms. Rictarsha Westmoreland, Mail Processing Clerk and Shop Steward, U.S. Postal Service, Written Testimony - I would really encourage you to read this particular testimony, it’s relatively short but it encapsulates the struggles of chronic staff shortages, DeJoy’s hiring freeze, the strength of collective bargaining;
November 2021 Office of the Inspector General Audit Report that found the Baltimore region had the second-highest number of lost mail inquiries of any major metropolitan area.
The same report found that the former Baltimore district failed to meet its performance targets every week during the 96 week audit for four flagship products including first class mail.
Mr. Chuck Metzger, Controller ReBUILD Metro, Written Testimony
“In the regular course of business, each December we mail interest payments to philanthropic investors. In January 2021, we received five calls for investors looking for their 2020 payment, as they did not receive the checks we mailed. We issued stop payments on the check and reissued the interest payment using electronic ACH transfers. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident…”
“During the 1st quarter of 2021, we did not receive mail for six weeks. After numerous calls to our Post Office on Shady Ave. in Baltimore City, we received some mail but the full complement of what was missing.”
I’m not kidding read Mr. Chuck Metzger, Controller ReBUILD Metro, Written Testimony and then ask yourself:
Why has Louis DeJoy not been indicted…
The significant slow downs in USPS deliveries and it appears it has not improved. One can factually draw a through line between Louis DeJoy(less) “over haul” of the USPS Operations. Leadership trickles down from the top. And DeJoy isn’t a leader, he’s a foul mouth “Jersey talk’ in” wanna be thug. It is as Donald Trump decided to use Central Casting to fill the USPS.
And since you’ve made it this far (also on a completely unrelated issue) last week one of my readers commented and inquired about GSAEmily and look what the WayBack Machine gift or via unroll found here. Man looking back at my many Twitter threads, I did a lot of research, pity that Garbage used his. Connection at Twitter to silence a lot of voices and convinced his Twitter contact to suspend multiple accounts, it almost brought a tiny tear to my eye -almost- snort
If you are inclined -I’d like to remind you that almost one year ago I kind of did a semi-decent deep dive into DeJoy(less) 10 year plan and late last week the Biden Administration appears to have pumped the brakes… yet undeterred, about two weeks ago DeJoy decided to openly defy the Biden Administration’s concerns about the USPS Vehicles Fleet replacing…
DeJoy’s 10 year plan is a corruption tsunami heading our way but if you choose to ignore Congress- you do so at your own peril…wait for it..
February 4, 2022 in a scathing letter from numerous Senators, which called for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the Chairman of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors Roman Martinez IV to;
…change the USPS procurement plan for its mail delivery vehicles and dramatically increase the electrification of the mail delivery fleet. The Postal Service recently announced that only 10 percent of its new fleet will be battery powered, despite President Biden’s executive order to fully electrify the federal fleet and despite a USPS-led analysis that determined about 95 percent of mail carriers’ routes could be electrified.
…subverted both our NEPA regulations and our national and international climate and public health commitments…
USPS’s plans for its future delivery-vehicle fleet have subverted both our NEPA regulations and our national and international climate and public health commitments. We therefore echo the EPA and CEQ’s recent letters, urge USPS to conduct a supplemental environmental impact review under NEPA, and host a public hearing, and abandon this faulty procurement plan.
The February 4, 2022 letter should be considered a follow up to this May 11, 2021 letter from the House OverSight Committee
..but I have to get back to shoving bonbons in my calorie hole and at the moment I do not have the bandwidth to do a complete deep dive. Again look for an update after COB… Filey
I love the smell of accountability in the morning...especially for dejoyless (good one btw). The wheels of justice are grinding so finely that the dust is now a baby powder. May it be spread across the land of the GQPers and dark money funders who tried to get us to eat this mock apple pie (no offense to ritz crackers and mock apple pie) with a slap on our backs and a twinkle in their eyes. When the dust finally hits theirs may it forever sting and live in disgrace (or jailed) in perpetuity...
Waiting patiently, also shoving bon bons 😂