Bipartisan Effort Secures Improvements in Mail Deliveries to U.S. Territories and Hawai'i

Strategic Insights -

Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata and her colleagues successfully secured improvements in mail deliveries to U.S. territories and Hawai'i, following a bipartisan letter co-signed by representatives from American Samoa, Hawai'i, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Guam. The letter expressed concern over persistent delays and service disruptions with the United States Postal Service (USPS) Ground Advantage service, which was launched two years ago to offer a simplified, affordable, and expedited delivery service for packages up to 70 pounds. The service has been plagued by delivery delays and tracking inaccuracies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The USPS launched the Ground Advantage service two years ago to offer a simplified, affordable, and expedited delivery service for packages up to 70 pounds.
  • The service has been plagued by delivery delays and tracking inaccuracies, with some packages taking weeks to arrive.
  • A bipartisan letter was co-signed by representatives from American Samoa, Hawai'i, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Guam to express concern over the issues.
  • The letter was led by Congressman Ed Case (Hawai'i -First District) and signed by Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (American Samoa), Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (Hawai'i-Second District), Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (U.S. Virgin Islands), and Congressman James Moylan (Guam).
  • The USPS undertook a review and found that some offshore destinating mail with a service standard requiring air transportation was incorrectly transported by sea.
  • The USPS instructed processing facilities to validate package processing flows to ensure parcels destinating to offshore locations are correctly transported. Specifically, lightweight Ground Advantage items and Priority Mail items will be combined and transported by air to offshore destinations.
  • The USPS apologized for the delays and recognized that Hawai'i and the U.S. territories rely on the Postal Service for efficient and effective service.

Statistics:

  • 2 years: The time period since the Ground Advantage service was launched.
  • 70 pounds: The maximum weight for packages that can be delivered through the Ground Advantage service.
  • Weeks: The time it has taken for some packages to arrive following the launch of the Ground Advantage service.

Sources:

  • "Amata and Island Colleagues Secure Improvements Mail Deliveries" (Rep. Uifa'atali Amata Radewagen website, Sep 4)
  • Original text: https://radewagen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/amata-and-island-colleagues-secure-improvements-mail-deliveries