{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D5296C23-8AF9-4E75-97D2-A2FE403C747C", "Heitkamp-Requested GAO Report Confirms Strong Need for Reliable Mail Service in Rural Areas", "2016-10-20", "2016", "2016-10", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BISMARCK, N.D. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced the results of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report she requested which confirmed what Heitkamp and rural North Dakotans have long known \u2013 that families and businesses in rural areas still rely strongly on the U.S. Postal Service regardless of their high-speed internet connection.\r\nLast year, Heitkamp and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) called for the GAO to examine the correlation between limited access to high-speed internet in rural areas and the reliability of the U.S. Postal Service in those areas. The study found that rural Americans count on efficient, reliable mail service, and that reliance is even higher in areas where high-speed internet access is limited.\r\nToday\u2019s report builds on the case Heitkamp has been making to the U.S. Postal Service about the need to improve mail service in rural communities, where demand for consistent, dependable service is particularly high. In August, Heitkamp brought U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan to Bismarck to hear directly from community members about the impact of mail service issues on their families and businesses. In the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp has included concerns from North Dakotans in her push for legislative reforms for better rural mail service.\r\n\u201cFor North Dakotans in rural communities \u2013 whether they have access to high-speed internet or not \u2013 reliable mail service is a key ingredient to a successful business and staying connected,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cBut too often, that high-quality service is not delivered \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly what Senator McCaskill and I are working to improve. Today, we received the results of a Government Accountability Office study we requested which affirmed what folks in rural states have long known \u2013 that communities and businesses in rural areas depend on mail service regardless of their internet connection. By providing more clarity, we can make sure dependable mail service is prioritized in the rural communities where it is needed the most.\u201d\r\nNorth Dakotans in rural communities rely heavily on the Postal Service to support their businesses and to connect them with family, and are disproportionately impacted by poor service and delivery \u2013 a point echoed in a Postal Service Inspector General report on mail volume. Over the past few years, rural America has faced increased delivery times, reduced service standards, and a distressed Postal Service workforce.\r\nLong an advocate for improved mail delivery in North Dakota, Heitkamp\u2019s efforts began shortly after taking office in 2013 when she heard from constituents about ongoing problems with mail service.\r\nHeitkamp\u2019s work to tackle mail service issues includes:\r\n \r\nResolving chronic mail issues in South Fargo. In January, Heitkamp pressed Brennan on severe mail issues in South Fargo. After reviewing the performance, the Postal Service brought in a carrier with 30 years of experience.\r\n \r\n \r\nShedding light on longstanding mail issues across North Dakota. As part of her Fix My Mail initiative, Heitkamp requested a review of the state\u2019s mail delivery service challenges, which prompted a Postal Service Office of Inspector General formal report on North Dakota\u2019s severe mail service problems.\r\nAddressing mail concerns in rural North Dakota communities. Based on feedback from her Fix My Mail initiative launched in 2014, Heitkamp introduced her Rural Postal Act in 2015 to address the mail delivery concerns and challenges she heard about from North Dakotans. Key pieces and themes from Heitkamp\u2019s bill have been included in comprehensive postal reform legislation in the U.S. Senate. Stories from the initiative also prompted Heitkamp to request a Postal Service Inspector General report, which confirmed the problems North Dakotans had shared with Heitkamp.\r\n \r\n \r\nGathering feedback from North Dakotans to hold the Postal Service accountable and achieve results. Since Heitkamp launched her Fix My Mail survey in February, she has received almost 600 responses from North Dakotans about specific mail delivery challenges \u2013 the vast majority of which contained personal stories about the issues they had experienced. Heitkamp relayed these challenges to Brennan and requested a prompt response to improve mail service. \r\nInspiring change at the U.S. Postal Service: Inspired by Heitkamp\u2019s Fix My Mail initiative and survey, the Postal Service has launched a new customer service program aimed at improving mail delivery and service. The \u2018Your Mail Matters\u2019 program is encouraging North Dakotans to share their mail service challenges with the Postal Service via email, YourMailMatters@usps.gov, and a service line, 605-333-2648, which is managed and operated by the Postal Service District Office in Sioux Falls, S.D.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D5296C23-8AF9-4E75-97D2-A2FE403C747C"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4449171721935272, "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"}