Congressman Higgins calls on postmaster general to resign

Brian Higgins
Photo credit [WBEN Photo - Brendan Keany]
BUFFALO (WBEN) - Congressman Brian Higgins held a press conference with Western New York postal workers Friday afternoon to speak out against the operational changes that have caused a lag in service times.

NOW: @RepBrianHiggins joins WNY postal workers to discuss recent changes that have caused service times to lag. The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the “Delivering for America Act,” which calls for no operational changes to USPS during the pandemic. @NewsRadio930 pic.twitter.com/f20UOMnSCZ

— Brendan Keany (@BrendanKeany) August 21, 2020

Higgins is traveling to Washington D.C. as the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the "Delivering for America Act," which would not allow any operational changes to the USPS amid the pandemic, and it would also provide $25 billion in funding.

"Let's be clear, the latest attack by this administration doesn't just undermine the Postal Service, it undermines our Constitutional right to this public service, our currently fragile economy and our democracy," said Higgins. "What is going on is a travesty; this is not a reorganization done for efficiency purposes, this is a malicious, deliberate and calculated effort to destroy an institution that was built on trust."

Higgins said that more than 2,500 Western New Yorkers have reached out to his office about the Postal Service, many because they are experiencing delays.

Under the direction of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, 671 mail processing units were removed from facilities across the nation, including the removal five mail sorters in Buffalo and four mail sorters in Rochester. 

"Let us do our job," said New York State American Postal Workers Union President Frank Resetarits. "Postal workers have always delivered for Americans, and we will continue that commitment to deliver your mail, packages and election ballots. But don't slow us down with equipment removal and transportation challenges."

As for what Higgins expects to come out of Saturday's vote, he's not entirely sure, but he did note that 80% of Americans view the USPS favorably and that representatives should respect that.

Operational changes have already been implemented, causing a delay in service, but Higgins wants to see those changes reversed, especially as Americans are preparing for November's election.

"You can't say that you're going to stop doing damage without fixing the damage that you've already done," he began. "We're going to use our leverage to get the United States Postal Service and the postmaster general - there is language in there talking about retroactivity, going back to January of 2020 when all of this began. Those machines here in Buffalo, the five in Buffalo, the four in Rochester, and almost 700 throughout the nation all have to be restored and in good working order.

"In truth, in fairness, this postmaster general should resign."