King Releases E-mail Chain Suggesting USPS is Stalling the Release of Information the Postmaster General Promised to King, Senators Weeks Ago
Washington D.C.- Congressman Steve King (R-IA) today released a series of emails between congressional staff and USPS officials which document the weeks’ worth of effort that has gone into the work of King, Grassley, and Harkin to hold the USPS to the promises made by the Postmaster General earlier this month to release important data to city and community leaders regarding the decision to move Sioux City’s mail processing operations to Sioux Falls, SD. On August 1, the Postmaster General personally promised Congressman King, Senator Grassley and Senator Harkin that he would provide Sioux City’s community and business leaders with the un-redacted data used to justify the USPS decision to move Sioux City’s mail processing operations to Sioux Falls. Despite repeated requests since the August 1st meeting for the information from Congressman King’s office, the Postal Service has refused to follow through on the Postmaster General’s commitment.
This afternoon, the USPS released a heavily redacted version of the AMP study instead of the un-redacted version that was promised. A letter accompanying the redacted report suggested that an un-redacted version would only be made available to community and business leaders during a “closed” meeting with USPS officials to be held in Sioux City next week. This falls short of the Postmaster General’s promise to release the un-redacted data and backup information to Sioux City’s business and community leaders in advance of a meeting with Postal Service officials in Sioux City. It had been agreed the release of this information in advance of such a meeting would give the leaders adequate time to review the data and provide informed feedback and a detailed counter proposal to the USPS.
“I have repeatedly requested the release of the un-redacted Sioux City AMP report in accordance with the Postmaster General’s commitment to me, Senator Grassley, Senator Harkin and the people of Sioux City, and the USPS continues to stonewall this request,” said King. “Today, the USPS continued their stalling tactics by releasing a copy of the AMP report that is heavily redacted, already available, and of little use to those in the Sioux City community who are trying to develop a counter proposal to the USPS consolidation plan. Releasing a redacted report is not what the Postmaster General promised. He must keep his word to the Sioux City community.”
During the August 1 meeting, the Postmaster General promised Congressman King, Senator Grassley and Senator Harkin that an un-redacted version of the Sioux City AMP report would be provided, and that the community would have sufficient time to put a counter-proposal together. After nearly three weeks of needless delay, and the release of a redacted report, it is clear that the USPS is attempting to run out the clock between now and the October 1 deadline it has set for completing the move of processing operations to Sioux Falls. Concerned members of the public should contact the following USPS officials to request that the Postmaster General keep his promise to release the un-redacted Sioux City AMP report:
USPS Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe
(p) 202-268-2000
Marie Therese Dominguez
USPS Vice President of Government Relations & Public Policy
(p) 202-268-2506
Talaya S. Simpson
USPS Government Relations Representative
(p) 202-268-7839
Sandra Calos
USPS Government Relations Representative
(p) 202-268-7505
In addition to the names and numbers of individuals at the USPS, Congressman King is also releasing the following e-mail exchange to illustrate the degree to which the USPS is frustrating efforts to gain access to the un-redacted Sioux City AMP report.