Since First Launching Her Survey in August 2020, the Congresswoman Has Received More Than 9,400 Responses from Virginians Expressing Concerns About USPS Delays

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today relaunched her survey to collect experiences and concerns from Virginians about the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) — particularly related to delays and disruptions originating at the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) in Sandston, Virginia.

The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new audit report on Monday assessing the effectiveness and operational impacts of the new Richmond RPDC, which began operating in July 2023 and serves much of Virginia’s Seventh District. The report highlights various issues on the local, regional, and national levels that have impacted service in Virginia — including an egregious lack of attention to detail, poor synchronization between machines processing mail at the facility and the schedules of trucks transporting mail to and from the facility, and broader questions about whether the RPDC model is generating the cost savings and efficiency improvements this model has promised.

As many Virginians are still experiencing USPS mail delivery and service delays, Spanberger is relaunching her survey to hear from families, seniors, and business owners across the Seventh District who have been impacted by inconsistent and unreliable service. Virginians can click here to complete Spanberger’s brief USPS survey and share their story.

“Virginians deserve a postal service that works. For years, I have heard from thousands of Virginia families, seniors, and business owners who are not receiving the reliable and timely service they deserve — and the audit of the Sandston processing and distribution facility echoes the issues Virginians have been voicing to my office and me over the last several months,” said Spanberger. “Last month, my colleagues from Virginia and I shared a few of these stories with the USPS Inspector General to underscore the magnitude and real consequences of these delays. Today, I am encouraging more Virginians to share with me how they have been impacted by substantial ongoing delays and disruptions. These stories will help me continue to advocate on behalf of the Virginians I serve, and I hope many of our neighbors will take a moment to share their experiences and concerns.”

Since the Congresswoman first launched her survey in 2020, she has received more than 9,400 responses from Virginians expressing concerns about ongoing delays at USPS.

BACKGROUND

Spanberger has long been vocal about the numerous ways in which Virginians suffer without a strong USPS. This week, Spanberger and fellow Virginia congressional lawmakers released a statement in response to the new audit report from the USPS OIG on the Richmond RPDC. Last month, Spanberger joined the same group of lawmakers in sending a letter to the USPS OIG to share stories from Virginians who have experienced delays and press USPS for answers.

In February 2022, Spanberger voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House to pass the Postal Service Reform Act, which President Biden signed into law. The legislation eliminates the healthcare prefunding mandate, integrates retiree healthcare with Medicare, requires a 6-days-a-week delivery schedule, creates transparency standards, and more to ensure the USPS has the financial stability to continue serving the American people for years to come.

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