U.S. Experienced Mail Slowdown After DeJoy's Appointment

Since Trump ally Louis DeJoy was appointed Postmaster General in May of this year, the U.S. experienced a slowdown in the rate of first class mail delivered. The revelation was published by The Guardian and it is based on USPS data. DeJoy took the reins at the USPS with no prior postal experience and he previously served as a donor and fundraiser to several prominent Republicans. Given the dire financial state of the USPS, he implemented a host of operational changes aimed at getting delivery vehicles to run on time along with limitations on making late trips to transport late mail. Unfortunately, that resulted in items getting left behind and it impacted delivery rates that remained relatively stable prior to his arrival in the job.

The USPS was delivering around 93 percent of first class mail on time throughout 2020 before DeJoy's appointment and operational changes sent it spiralling down to 81 percent in early August. The situation was even worse in specific parts of the country, particularly in key swing states. Northern Ohio's postal district saw its first class mail delivery rates slump to 64 percent while Detroit's sunk even lower to 61 percent. The Guardian analysis states that critics feel DeJoy implemented his changes at the worst possible time with the country in the middle of a pandemic and with a presidential election just around the corner where most voters will have to case their ballots by mail. The good news is that first class mail delivery rates are improving, albeit alowly, climbing back to around 88 percent by the beginning of August. Even though that does represent a significant move in the right direction, it is still below normal.