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Postal service delays affecting Lansing veteran’s medication

Posted at 5:40 AM, Aug 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-20 05:40:59-04

LANSING, Mich. — A day after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he would stop making changes to the postal service until after the election, a new report out of Grand Rapids said otherwise.

A post office employee there said that DeJoy ordered The United States Postal Service to remove sorting machines.

And now, two of Michigan’s members of congress are demanding answers.

"It's taking too long to get that vital medication to get here," said Carl Tielking.

Tielking relies on getting his medication from the VA in the mail on time every month.

“Cramps happen throughout the night. I can’t sleep because I have to take that medication to prevent that,” he said.

DeJoy started making controversial changes in recent months, like taking processing equipment offline including one in Lansing, removing blue mailboxes and cutting post office hours.

Those cuts caused the system to slow down.

"I was annoyed and then angry. The anger basically because of frustration. No one wanted to hear us because we couldn't get through," said Tielking.

Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin held a news conference Wednesday morning highlighting the changes that have happened in with mail in recent weeks.

"I'm panicked. Every single day, 360 million veterans in this country get medicine through the mail," said Sen. Stabenow.

Rep. Slotkin supports a bill in the House that would bridge the postal service's budget deficit.

"All those delays are just postponing keeping the post office solvent. As taxpayers I think we want to maintain this service," she said.

DeJoy said these are just cost-cutting measures.

Tuesday he announced the changes would stop until after the election, but he won't reverse the changes already made.

Postal workers said they just want to move the mail as fast as they can, no matter what is in it.

"Postal workers will not fail. We will move the mail, we will get the mail where it needs to be as quick as we can," said John Greathouse, American Postal Workers Union.

DeJoy will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Friday.

Michigan Senator Gary Peters is the committee's top-ranked Democrat.

The House will vote to give postal service the money it needs Saturday.

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