Press Releases
Vermont Congressional Delegation Calls on USPS to Address Persistent Shortfalls in Serving Vermonters
Burlington, VT,
August 21, 2026
Tags:
Postal Services
Read and download the Delegation’s full letter to USPS Postmaster General Steiner. BURLINGTON, VT – The Vermont Congressional Delegation, U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL), U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), urged the Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service (USPS) to address massive shortfalls in serving Vermonters, who have for years experienced postal delivery delays and egregious service issues. In their letter to USPS Postmaster General David Steiner, who was appointed in 2025, the Delegation outlined how many Vermonters have dealt with reduced deliveries and deteriorating service for several years, following adoption of the Trump Administration’s flawed Delivering for America Plan. The Delegation emphasized that the significant Postal Service issues facing Vermonters stem from decisions made by USPS leadership: “As you know, the Postal Service’s Delivering for America ten-year plan was launched in 2021, supposedly to modernize and support the financial self-sustainability of the postal network. Five years into this plan, mail delivery service in Vermont is at an all-time low, staffing shortages in the state are pervasive, and USPS has not improved its financial outlook.” “In the first half of 2026 alone, our offices have received over 2,000 constituent complaints about the USPS mail service. Many of our constituents currently receive just one or two mail deliveries per week. Some residential areas have received zero mail deliveries over consecutive weeks. Vermonters living in South Burlington and the greater Chittenden County region have experienced particularly egregious service issues,” the Delegation continued. “These service failures have a significant impact on Vermonters: tax documents and bills are received after they are due, holiday cards come after the holiday season, and most critically, residents are forced to go without medical care when their prescriptions are not received on time. The Delegation also underscored that inconsistent mail delivery is impeding state government services in Vermont: “The Vermont Agency of Administration has reported two separate instances over the last year when entire batches of vehicle titles were mailed out from the state Postal Center, received by USPS, and subsequently lost in transit. These incidents not only create unnecessary administrative burdens for the state, they also present real security threats to customers’ most sensitive personal information. Given these repeated detrimental impacts on government services, we are greatly concerned about USPS’ ability to deliver election ballots timely, which are automatically mailed by the state to all registered voters in Vermont, before they are mailed back to town and city clerks’ offices in time to be counted for elections.” “Insufficient staff and monthslong delays in hiring and onboarding staff, mean that Vermont postal workers are working 12 hour days, seven days a week to ensure Vermonters receive their mail. USPS’ centralization of hiring processes and decision-making, has taken away hiring authority from Vermont postmasters, contributing to the problem,” the Delegation continued. “We deeply appreciate the hard work of Vermont’s postal employees, who, despite limited resources, continue to serve with dedication. We appreciate that USPS’ Northern New England (NNE) District is focused on improving recruitment and retention, including by increasing the number of career fairs and hiring events across the state, but these measures alone cannot remedy the chronic operational deficiencies at USPS.” The Vermont Delegation requested answers to the following questions by September 1, 2026:
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