Rep. Mike Levin Presses Postmaster General DeJoy for Answers on Impacts to Veteran Hiring at Weakened USPS
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA), Chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, sent a letter to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy pressing him for information on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on veteran hiring and employment within the agency. The USPS is one of the country’s largest employers of veterans, with nearly 100,000 former servicemembers on its payroll, but the agency is experiencing drastic revenue losses due to the pandemic and has been undermined significantly by DeJoy’s harmful operational changes.
“I recently stood with Robert Daniels, a veteran and former postal worker in my district, who shared his story and highlighted that neither Marines nor Postal workers are trained to quit. It is my hope that the USPS won’t quit on people like Robert and we can ensure they are able to keep their jobs and feed their families during this challenging time,” wrote Rep. Levin.
Last week, Rep. Levin and local veterans met outside of the historic post office in Oceanside to highlight how DeJoy’s changes have caused veterans and many others to miss doses of life-saving medications. In June, Rep. Levin led 137 House Members from both parties in a letter to Senate leadership urging them to pass legislation providing $25 billion in emergency grants for the USPS. This is the same level of funding that the USPS Board of Governors – which is entirely made up of Trump appointees – recommend to keep the agency’s doors open.
Click here or see below for the full letter:
Louis DeJoy
Postmaster General
U.S. Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza West, S.W.
Washington, DC 20260
Dear Postmaster General:
I write today to express significant concern regarding the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on veteran hiring and employment at the United States Postal Service (USPS). I recently stood with Robert Daniels, a veteran and former postal worker in my district, who shared his story and highlighted that neither Marines nor Postal workers are trained to quit. It is my hope that the USPS won’t quit on people like Robert and we can ensure they are able to keep their jobs and feed their families during this challenging time.
As Chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and the representative for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, one of my top priorities is working to support veterans, servicemembers, and their families. The USPS is one of our country’s leading employers of veterans, with nearly 100,000 heroes on its payroll. These numbers are in part due to USPS’s use of policies that prioritize hiring of veterans. The employment opportunities offered by USPS are particularly critical for servicemembers transitioning from military to civilian life during the current economic crisis.
According to the Associated Press, the post office is expecting more than $22 billion in losses over the next 18 months, and mail volume has decreased by 30 percent since the onset of the pandemic.1 I am concerned the USPS’s fiscal losses may hurt current veterans employed at USPS and future employment opportunities for servicemembers. With this in mind, I urgently request the following information:
- Please provide the most recent veteran hiring data available, along with a comparison to previous years.
- Since the onset of the pandemic, how many veteran employees have been furloughed?
- What resources, if any, are you providing to furloughed workers, including furloughed veterans who may need additional assistance?
- Of those who have been furloughed how many have been allowed to return to work?
- If Congress were to appropriate emergency relief for the USPS, as requested by the Board of Governors, how would staff furloughs be impacted?
Thank you for your prompt response to these questions on behalf of those who have served our nation.
Sincerely,
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