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U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy met with a Virginia congressional delegation on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, to deliver a status report on the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) ongoing work to improve service in central Virginia. 

Problems at the Richmond Processing and Distribution Center led to a barrage of complaints from customers left waiting for first-class mail. Some endured not receiving items at all.  

Problems at the center included a lack of attention to detail, such as pieces of mail falling off conveyor belts and being lost; poor synchronizing between machines processing mail at the facility and the trucks transporting mail to and from the facility; and broader questions about whether the RPDC model is generating the promised cost savings and efficiency improvements.  

Wednesday’s report followed an April meeting between DeJoy and members of the delegation, which included U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger and Rob Wittman, and a representative from U.S. Representative Jennifer McClellan’s office.   

“We assessed some statistics from the Post Service that have shown that in the second quarter of the year compared to first quarter, we are seeing an improvement in on-time delivery in Virginia,” said Sen. Tim Kaine. “But we were in the bottom of the nation and somehow we’ve improved to third from the bottom, which is entirely insufficient. But in a bit of good news, the Postal Service brought us not just the first quarter’s worth of data but even data from the last couple of weeks showing that on-time mail delivery is now getting very near the national average.” 

The delegation said in a statement that they will continue to press for increased transparency, greater engagement with the public, and a higher standard of service for communities across the state.