Congress members ‘disappointed’ by USPS response to delays, say office communicates with ‘good news’

Two members of the U.S. Congress from the Houston area, Congressman Al Green and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, expressed disappointment with the response they received from the United States Postal Service (USPS) regarding their concerns about accountability and transparency.

After receiving numerous complaints from constituents about packages or letters being stuck in processing facilities or going missing altogether, Green and Garcia sent a letter to high-ranking USPS officials on Feb. 22. They inquired about plans for public engagement, including town halls, availability of customer service representatives at processing centers, and media access for tours.

However, in the response dated March 5, which arrived last week, Peter Pastre, the vice president of government relations and public policy at USPS, declined their requests. Pastre cited challenges with employee attendance and equipment transitions during the modernization process in Houston. He stated that holding a town hall or providing on-site customer service was “logistically impossible.”

Additionally, Pastre explained that USPS had been hesitant to address the media on these issues until they fully identified and addressed the root causes. Green criticized this approach, stating that USPS seemed to only want to communicate when there was good news, which did not benefit the public who rely on their services.

While Green noted a decline in processing problems based on decreased complaints to his office, many Houstonians continue to report issues with packages being stuck in processing facilities.

Despite the USPS response, Green assured constituents that they could still reach out to his office for assistance in addition to contacting USPS directly. His office can be contacted at 713-383-9234.