Congressional Representatives Investigate Mail Delivery Delays in Houston Region

U.S. Rep. Al Green and other Congress members from the Houston area said they are looking into why the US Postal Service (USPS) is taking so long to send mail. Green is an elected official in the Houston area that includes the Missouri City processing center where many packages have been stuck. He said that more than 70 people have called his office to complain about the problem, with some saying that they have been waiting more than two weeks for packages to arrive.

The Congressman said he first heard about the issue on December 15 and has been working with U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Houston, and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican who represents a region that includes Austin, College Station, and the western part of Greater Houston.

“Given the amount of mail they deliver, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think there may be some times when there are issues,” Green stated Friday. “But for it to happen over and over again in the numbers we’re seeing is not acceptable.” He also said, “I don’t know how big this problem is, but it seems to be getting worse the more I look into it and learn about it, which worries me.” Mail-in ballots are very important, so I hope this problem is fixed before the March 5 primary poll.

In a statement, Nikki Johnson, a USPS spokesperson for the Houston area, said that the postal service is going through a system-wide change to “modernize our mail and package processing network” so that it can run more smoothly and save money. She said that the USPS has opened a local processing center in Missouri City, which is south of Houston. This is in addition to the regional processing center that is in North Houston.

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Green said that local USPS officials told him that between the two processing centers, they handled 21.4 million pieces of mail from November 27 to December 27. He also said, “I think they’re having some problems at the north center as well.” In a statement on Friday, Garcia backed up that claim.

“Together with Rep. Al Green, we are looking into the reported inefficiencies at the USPS North Houston Processing Center in my district and the Missouri City Processing Center in his district,” Garcia said. “Both distribution centers have been a problem, and people have complained about them.” We are dedicated to making sure that our constituents’ vital services run smoothly.

Prescription drugs, gifts, bills, and payments are all regular things that people send through the mail. In a post on Thursday, Matt Lanza of Space City Weather said that he had seen “several packages sit in postal purgatory for 1-2 weeks after arriving in Houston.” It drives me crazy.”

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In her message, Johnson said, “This process, like any other change of this kind, takes time.” “As with any change, there may be some unplanned and short-term problems.” We’re taking steps to make sure packages are handled as quickly and smoothly as possible, and we’re sorry for any customers who may be having trouble getting their things delivered.

Johnson said that people whose mail is affected can call 1-800-275-8777 or visit www.usps.com/help to get in touch with the postal service so that it can “fully research the situation and provide a suitable resolution.”