{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-cleaver-demand-answers-usps-problems-kansas-city", "Graves, Cleaver Demand Answers for USPS Problems in Kansas City", "2022-10-11", "2022", "2022-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "KANSAS CITY, MO \u2013 Congressmen Sam Graves (MO-06) and Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) authored a letter demanding answers from United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on the Postal Service\u2019s failure to reliably deliver mail six days a week in the Greater Kansas City Area, as required by law.\n\n\u201cMissourians from all walks of life depend on the United States Postal Service to deliver the mail six days a week,\u201d Graves said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you live in downtown Kansas City, in the suburbs, or in rural North Missouri, folks depend on the mail to get prescriptions, bills, and other important documents in a timely manner. The failure of the agency to live up to its core promise, particularly when they just posted a $60 billion net profit, is unconscionable. I\u2019ve long supported our postal workers and the dedication they have to delivering the mail on time, but it\u2019s clear there\u2019s a leadership problem somewhere in the chain of command and Missourians deserve some answers.\u201d\n\n\u201cEnsuring the delivery of mail is one of the few powers specifically delegated to Congress in the Constitution, so when I hear about constituents reaching out to my office having not received their mail in weeks, it compels Members of Congress to act,\u201d said Congressman Cleaver. \u201cAmericans rely on the Postal Service to pay their bills on time, collect their hard-earned paychecks, and receive vital medications.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nThe Postal Service Reform Act was passed by Congress and signed into law in April of this year. The law eliminated a longstanding mandate that the Postal Service prefund retirement benefits for employees on the date an employee is hired. Eliminating the mandate relieved a massive financial burden on the agency and as a result, the Postal Service posted a nearly $60 billion net profit last quarter. In addition, the law mandated the Postal Service maintain its current level of service to communities, including reliable six-day mail delivery with few exceptions.\n\nDespite this mandate, both congressmen have received reports from constituents that the Postal Service is failing to deliver the mail six days a week.\n\nThe congressmen requested formal responses to the following questions addressed to Postmaster DeJoy:\n\nHas the USPS received internal or external reports of significant failures to uphold its six-day mail delivery, as required by law?\n\nWhat is the USPS\u2019 plan to achieve reliable six-day delivery of the mail in all regions of the country?\n\nSpecifically, how does the USPS plan to address the Kansas City region\u2019s unreliable mail delivery?\n\nIf/when the USPS has a change in delivery service, how does the USPS plan to notify constituents?\n\nIf there are barriers to achieving this required level of service, what are they?\n\nDoes the USPS plan to reinvest its new profits into services that support letter carriers\u2019 critical work to deliver six-day mail?\n\nRead the full letter text here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:20:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-cleaver-demand-answers-usps-problems-kansas-city"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2124499771744013, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}