Klobuchar Urges USPS to Reverse Plan That Will Slow Mail Delivery

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar called on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to abandon its Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan in a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner. The RTO plan would lower service standards and eliminate end-of-day mail collection, slowing mail delivery and disrupting mail service.

Read the full letter to the U.S. Postal Service below.

Dear Mr. Steiner:

I write to express concern about the impacts of the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) recent policy changes and their impacts on Minnesotans’ mail service.

The Postal Service’s Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan lowers service standards and eliminates end-of-day mail collection at most of the nation’s post offices, particularly in rural areas. In January 2025, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued an advisory opinion raising serious concerns about the plan’s negative impacts while slowing mail delivery and failing to save costs. Despite the advisory opinion and opposition from postal workers and customers, USPS has continued to implement the policy which has resulted in disrupted service for customers in Minnesota and across the country.

Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service to receive paychecks, business mail, Social Security benefits, and medications that they rely on for their health and livelihoods. The U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, making it a critical connection for many Minnesotans as well as the businesses and other organizations that serve them. In addition, as I have previously described, many local newspapers rely on the Postal Service to reach their subscribers, providing Minnesotans with information not only to find out the weather forecast or who won the big high school sports game, but also to keep them well-informed about local issues and hold local government officials accountable. That is why it is crucial that the Postal Service remains a reliable and affordable delivery service for Minnesotans.

Continuing to carry out the Regional Transportation Optimization plan — on top of other policy changes and rate hikes in recent years — will instead mean that it will take longer for these postal customers to send and receive their mail. The United States Postal Service should be working to improve service, rather than lowering standards.

Minnesotans depend on the United States Postal Service every day. I urge you to reverse implementation of the RTO plan and ensure that the Postal Service is a viable, affordable delivery service for residents in Minnesota and across the country.