Sen. Baldwin questions USPS on mail delays, staffing shortages

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) last week demanded answers from Postmaster General David Steiner regarding long-term mail delays and staffing shortages at post offices across Wisconsin that are impacting local businesses, newspapers, and Wisconsin families who rely on USPS for prescriptions, bills, voting and more.

“I write you today to express my frustrations with ongoing mail delays and staffing shortages throughout Wisconsin,” Baldwin wrote. “This is not the first time I have reached out to the United States Postal Service (USPS) about mail delivery issues on behalf of my constituents. Millions of Wisconsinites rely on the Postal Service to stay in touch with loved ones, pay bills, receive much-needed medications and cast their vote. We have a duty to find solutions to these difficulties for the people we serve.”

In the letter, Baldwin raised that Wisconsinites across the state have faced significant delays in receiving their mail from USPS. Service delays have been especially pronounced in Brown Deer and Madison, where residents reported weeks-long delays in mail delivery.

These delays follow USPS’ implementation of the Local Transportation Optimization (LTO) policy, an overhaul spearheaded by former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that has caused widespread service issues in the years since it was first introduced.

A March 2025 report by the USPS Office of Inspector General found a general decrease in service in Wisconsin after LTO was implemented.

She has repeatedly called on the USPS to address rate hikes and delays Wisconsinites are experiencing. In 2024, she led a group of her colleagues in calling out USPS leadership for unsustainable price hikes and poor service.

Baldwin also called on former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to immediately address costly mail delays suffered by Wisconsin newspapers that rely on the USPS.

Within her letter, Baldwin questioned the number of open positions within USPS and how the service is addressing staffing shortages, as well as employee retention levels and how its tracking LTO savings laid out in the 2025 report.

The full letter can be read at baldwin.senate.gov/download/letter-to-usps-on-delays.