Tester Blasts USPS for Abruptly Suspending Air Service and Express Mail in Montana

Senator in letter to Postmaster DeJoy: “Once again, it appears that the USPS is turning its back on rural America and attempting to solve its budget woes on the backs of our nation’s rural citizens”

U.S. Senator Jon Tester is today blasting Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and urgently requesting United States Postal Service (USPS) air service in Montana be immediately restored following a USPS announcement that they will be suspending air service to support priority and express mail in Montana starting July 22.

In his letter, Tester began by emphasizing Montanans’ concerns about degrading mail service: “At a time when Montanans are already reporting unacceptably inconsistent delivery from the USPS, cutting air transportation will further degrade mail service in our rural state.  Once again, it appears that the USPS is turning its back on rural America and attempting to solve its budget woes on the backs of our nation’s rural citizens.”

Tester continued to highlight the importance of reliable mail service in Montana: “As a large and rural state with hundreds of miles between urban areas, air mail delivery by air service is critical for allowing fast delivery of essential documents, prescriptions, and goods.  This is especially true during the winter where extreme weather can often makes long stretches of road unsafe or even impassable.” 

Tester concluded his letter by calling on Postmaster DeJoy to continue air service in Montana: “With all of this in mind, I urge the USPS to immediately take steps to continue air service in Montana and reengage in any necessary contract negotiations.”

Tester has been Montana’s leading champion holding the USPS accountable. Earlier this year, Tester successfully pushed Postmaster DeJoy to halt the USPS’s Mail Processing Facility Review that could result in the relocation of Missoula’s P&DC outgoing mail processing operations to Spokane, Washington.

Tester fought for months to force USPS to halt their consolidation plans in Montana and across the country. In February, Tester urged DeJoy to halt the United States Postal Service’s Mail Processing Facility Review that could result in the relocation of Missoula’s P&DC outgoing mail processing operations to Spokane, Washington. In March, following an initial decision to make the move permanent, and after hearing from countless veterans frustrated with USPS’s untimely delivery of prescription medications, Tester called on the USPS Board of Governors to work towards improved postal service in Montana. And in May, Tester led a bipartisan letter to the USPS Board of Governors calling for the USPS to halt all consolidation plans.

Tester has introduced his Protecting Access to Rural Carriers for Every Location (PARCEL) Act – legislation to prohibit unnecessary and harmful consolidation of mail processing operations nationwide – which would ensure USPS cannot reverse course on their decision to halt consolidation plans in Missoula and across Montana.

Read Tester’s full letter to Postmaster DeJoy HERE.