Tester Statement on USPS Relocating Missoula Processing Center to Spokane

Following the news that United States Postal Service (USPS) is finalizing the decision to relocate Missoula’s Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) outgoing processing operations to Spokane, Washington, U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement:

“While this shortsighted decision exemplifies how out of touch Postmaster DeJoy is with the challenges facing rural America, I’ll continue using every tool at my disposal to ensure that the Postal Service is held accountable to the people of Montana. Moving Missoula’s outgoing mail processing operations out of state will hurt countless small businesses, veterans, and seniors that rely on timely delivery from USPS to stay afloat – and we’ve seen it proven time and time again with previous consolidations. Montanans of all political stripes have voiced their frustrations with this plan, which is why I’ll keep fighting to ensure that Montanans have a Postal Service they can rely on.”

Tester has been Montana’s leading champion holding the USPS accountable. In February, Tester urged Postmaster General Louis 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.

In December, Tester pressed the Biden Administration to address staffing challenges and fill upcoming openings in USPS leadership with people who have experience with postal matters in rural areas. In June, following months of discussions with Big Sky Post Office stakeholders and USPS, Tester secured a $229,000 per year increase in funding for the Big Sky Post Office to support continued services in the face of the area’s rapid population growth.

In April of 2022, his Postal Service Reform Act was signed into law, which ensures long-term, reliable mail service and put the USPS on sound financial footing. He has repeatedly pushed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on USPS policy changes that have delayed mail, threatened to undermine the agency, and harmed rural America. In 2020, Tester blew the whistle on USPS for removing dozens of mail collection boxes from towns across Montana, leading USPS to pause its removal of collection boxes nationwide until after the November election.