news

Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) penned the following letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to follow up on his previous request to expand operations at the Processing and Distribution Center in Toledo, Ohio. This expansion would allow for the permanent return of mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio, instead of the United States Postal Service (USPS) continuing to utilize the Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Michigan for these duties.

The letter can be found here or below.

Dear Postmaster General DeJoy:

Thank you for your commitment to maintaining a dialogue with Congress regarding service issues in Ohio.  In light of the recent passage and signage into law of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-89), I write to follow up on my previous request to expand operations at the Toledo, OH, Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to allow for the permanent return of mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio, instead of the USPS continuing to utilize the Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Michigan for these duties.

As you have been made aware, the communities I represent in Northwest Ohio have been adversely impacted by the closure and consolidation of mail processing facilities over the last fifteen years.  When these facilities were consolidated, the mail processing operations were moved to facilities outside Detroit, Michigan.  Ever since this decision was made, residents, businesses, churches, courts, and Boards of Elections in Northwest Ohio have experienced countless delays in mail delivery, lost or discarded mail pieces, and other failures. 

One of the arguments that has been made to me in favor of maintaining the status quo is that the USPS does not have the financial resources to devote to expanding operations in Toledo.  I have been told that Congress needed to act to help the USPS regain its financial footing in order for it to be feasible to have all Northwest Ohio mail processed in Ohio.

The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on April 6, 2022.  Among its many provisions, this bill would eliminate the USPS’ requirement to refund retiree health benefits and require future retirees to enroll in Medicare.  It is estimated that these reforms would save the USPS almost $50 billion over the next ten years.  These savings could then be redirected to the expansion and improvement of mail processing operations across the country, including in Ohio.

It is essential that the USPS improves its operations to restore the confidence my constituents previously held for the agency.  They rely on the timely delivery of mail so they can run their businesses, pay their bills, keep in touch with loved ones, and perform their civic duties of voting and serving on juries.  Now that Congress has acted to greatly improve the fiscal state of the USPS, mail processing operations should be scaled up and returned to the Toledo, OH, Processing and Distribution Center.

I would appreciate your full and fair consideration of this request, consistent with applicable statutes and regulations, and look forward to working with you to ensure any issues with the delivery of mail can be addressed.  Thank you again for your continued leadership.

BACKGROUND

Congressman Latta has been a strong advocate for improving the United States Postal Service’s operational performance. In December of 2020, the Congressman penned a letter to Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY12) and Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY1) of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and another to USPS Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer DeJoy. These letters requested formal Congressional inquiries into the mail processing operations of the USPS Metroplex facility in Pontiac, Michigan, and a permanent transfer of processing duties for Northwest Ohio’s mail from the Metroplex to a mail processing facility within the state of Ohio.

On May 19, 2021, Latta penned an additional letter to USPS Postmaster General DeJoy to request an expansion of operations at the Toledo, Ohio, Processing and Distribution Center to allow for the permanent return of mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio instead of the USPS continuing to utilize the Michigan Metroplex Facility for these duties. A spokesperson for the Postmaster responded to the May letter stating that the USPS had no plans to transfer mail processing operations for Northwest Ohio from the Michigan Metroplex Processing and Distribution Center to the Toledo Processing and Distribution Facility.

In February of 2022, the House voted in favor of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. Congressman Latta voted in favor of passage because the reforms within the legislation are designed to improve the fiscal health of the USPS and allow for improvements to their overall services.

###