Rep. Angie Craig Slams USPS Following Eagan and Apple Valley Audit Results
USPS Inspector General report proves widespread operational issues and the need for increased oversight
Inspector General announces new statewide investigation following Rep. Craig’s bipartisan call
EAGAN, MN – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig slammed U.S. Postal Service leadership following the publication of the results of an investigation into the Eagan and Apple Valley Post Offices.
The USPS Office of the Inspector General announced their investigation in December, after more than a year of advocacy from Rep. Craig on this issue. And today, following Rep. Craig’s bipartisan call for a statewide investigation, USPS OIG announced an audit of the entire Minnesota-North Dakota District.
Audits published by the USPS OIG today cited nearly 140,000 pieces of delayed mail, inadequate resources for postal workers from management and mail security issues at Eagan and Apple Valley USPS facilities.
“For over a year, I’ve been sounding the alarm on unacceptable service from USPS. And for over a year, USPS leadership has given my office the runaround, saying there’s nothing wrong, in spite of the thousands of messages I’ve received from Minnesotans who aren’t getting their mail. Today, Minnesotans get the truth. I am more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this, and will continue to exercise Congressional oversight until the mail is delivered on time and letter carriers’ working conditions improve,” said Rep. Craig.
Last January, Rep. Craig launched an online USPS survey to gauge the extent of postal issues in the Second District and received more than 3,300 responses from Minnesotans. Rep. Craig delivered those responses directly to Postmaster General DeJoy’s office in Washington DC.
Since then, Rep. Craig has inspected post offices in Eagan, Prior Lake and Lakeville amid concerning media reports about undelivered mail and poor working conditions for letter carriers trying to keep up with demand. She also raised concerns about the accessibility of the New Prague Post Office in August 2022 and called on USPS to create a new Lakeville-Farmington Post Office to help serve the growing area.
Ahead of the 2023 holiday season, Rep. Craig called on USPS to release their plan on how to handle increased demand during the peak shipping season. In response, a USPS spokesperson told the Star Tribune the agency was “preparing for another successful holiday season’ like last year.”
Rep. Craig recently introduced new legislation to require USPS to increase public-facing service level reporting and led the Minnesota House delegation in calling for a statewide USPS investigation.
Click here to read the results of the Eagan audit and here for the Apple Valley audit.
###