{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senators-tina-smith-john-hoeven-amy-klobuchar-and-kevin-cramer-send-bipartisan-letter-urging-postmaster-general-to-address-chronic-postal-delays-across-minnesota-north-dakota/", "U.S. Senators Tina Smith, John Hoeven, Amy\u00a0Klobuchar\u00a0and Kevin Cramer Send Bipartisan Letter Urging Postmaster General to Address Chronic Postal Delays Across Minnesota, North Dakota", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/media/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Yesterday, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) urged the Postmaster General to take action to improve postal services in the Minnesota-North Dakota Postal District. As the holiday season continues and the volume of mail increases, it\u2019s especially important to ensure there aren\u2019t delivery delays across the two states.\n\n\u201cAs our constituents prepare for the busy holiday season, we urge you to take actions to ensure that any performance issues are resolved in a timely manner so that Minnesotans and North Dakotans do not experience significant service disruptions this winter,\u201d wrote the Senators.\n\n\u201cFor Minnesotans and North Dakotans, the Postal Service is an essential lifeline, delivering prescriptions, pay checks, and messages from loved ones. During the holiday season, it is even more essential. Any service disruptions within the MN-ND District create real consequences for the people who rely on your services, and as Postmaster General, we look to you to provide timely action to address these critical issues,\u201d they concluded.\n\nYou can read full text of the letter here or below.\n\nDear Postmaster General Steiner,\n\nWe write to highlight the importance of timely and reliable mail delivery within the United States Postal Service\u2019s (USPS) Minnesota-North Dakota District, especially during this peak holiday season. As our constituents prepare for the busy holiday season, we urge you to take actions to ensure that any performance issues are resolved in a timely manner so that Minnesotans and North Dakotans do not experience significant service disruptions this winter. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.\n\nIn recent years, our offices have received a significant number of concerns and complaints from constituents during the holiday and winter months. While we recognize that weather conditions during this time of year can often be unpredictable in our area of the country, solutions to address and overcome these challenges must be found. For Minnesotans and North Dakotans, the Postal Service is an essential lifeline, delivering prescriptions, pay checks, and messages from loved ones. During the holiday season, it is even more essential. Any service disruptions within the MN-ND District create real consequences for the people who rely on your services, and as Postmaster General, we look to you to provide timely action to address these critical issues. To this end, we ask that you provide answers to the following questions related to mail delivery service in the MN-ND District no later than Friday, December 19:\n\nWhat do you see as the greatest challenges for the district now and in the upcoming winter months?\n\nWhat, if any, actions has the district taken to improve on-time delivery performance this peak season?\n\nHow is the USPS working to address any such challenges?\n\nHow can our offices best assist and partner with you to strengthen mail delivery and postal services in Minnesota and North Dakota?\n\nWe appreciate your prompt attention to this important matter and look forward to working with you to ensure timely and reliable mail service across Minnesota and North Dakota.\n\nSincerely,\n\ncc: Angela Bye, Minnesota-North Dakota District Manager, U.S. Postal Service\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senators-tina-smith-john-hoeven-amy-klobuchar-and-kevin-cramer-send-bipartisan-letter-urging-postmaster-general-to-address-chronic-postal-delays-across-minnesota-north-dakota/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7632991764694452, "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"}