Chairman Gerry E. Connolly's Opening Statement [PDF]

Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney's Opening Statement [PDF]

Washington D.C. (February 10, 2022)—On Monday, February 14, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations will hold a field hearing in Baltimore, Maryland to examine the longstanding poor performance of the U.S. Postal Service in the greater Baltimore area, including an examination of the root causes and potential solutions to slow mail service.

Baltimore residents experience some of the worst postal service performance in the country. Single-Piece First-Class Mail designated for three-to-five-day delivery in the Baltimore area arrived on time only 63.2% of the time in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Throughout 2020, Postal Service senior staff, including the Postmaster General, made consequential operational changes to mail and package delivery without consulting customers.  These changes worsened delivery service performance in the Baltimore area and disrupted critical delivery services amidst a global pandemic to the detriment of mailers and customers.  Recent performance in Baltimore has improved, but Baltimore has more often than not underperformed the nationwide average since Fiscal Year 2012.

This hearing will examine the root causes of postal service delays and the Postal Service’s plans to address them, as well as highlight the need for robust congressional oversight of the Postal Service.

At approximately 2:00 p.m. ET, at the conclusion of the field hearing, Chairman Connolly and members of the Maryland congressional delegation will hold a press conference to recap the information uncovered at the hearing.

MEDIA:

In light of current guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and OAP, all members of the press must wear must properly fitted, medical-grade, filtration face masks (KN95 or N95 masks) masks at all times, regardless of vaccination status.  The University of Baltimore expects all visitors, including members of the press, will also be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Seating in the hearing room is limited and as a result, credentialed media must RSVP to the Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office at  oversightpress@mail.house.gov no later than 5 p.m. ET on February 13, 2022.