Graves Demands Plan to Reopen Post Office in New London
Washington, D.C – Congressman Sam Graves wrote Postmaster General Louis DeJoy today requesting the United States Postal Service (USPS) develop a plan to ensure a Post Office remains in New London, Missouri. The Post Office closed earlier this week for repairs, with an unknown date given for reopening. In the meantime, residents with PO Boxes are uncertain where they will be getting their mail during the closure.
“There’s been a United States Post Office in New London since 1820,” Graves said. “Mail service is a necessity and residents shouldn’t have to drive a great distance to get it. In the wake of this temporary closure, the people of New London deserve to have adequate interim service close to home and they need to know what the long-term plan is to maintain a post office in New London for generations to come.”
You can read the full letter here.
Graves previously called on USPS to reestablish Post Offices in Baring, LaGrange, and Clarksville, which had been shuttered due to natural disasters. LaGrange and Clarksville were ultimately reopened and Baring is in the process of rebuilding.
Graves recently introduced the Pony Up Act, which would require the Postal Service to provide a mechanism for constituents to get reimbursed for late fees that were incurred as a result of late mail delivery, which has been experienced across North Missouri. He also called on the Postal Service to halt their postage price increases until they are able to solve their late delivery issues.
In 2009 and 2011, USPS proposed shuttering thousands of post offices across the country in an effort to cut costs. For years, USPS has blamed financial losses on a mandate that required USPS to prefund retirement benefits. However, Congress eliminated this mandate in 2022 by passing the Postal Service Reform Act, which Congressman Graves cosponsored and supported. That measure also included a provision Congressman Graves championed for years, preserving 6-day mail service, which is critical for rural communities all over the country.
###