Current:Home > FinanceUSPS commits to rerouting Reno-area mail despite bipartisan pushback and mail ballot concerns -Achieve Wealth Network
USPS commits to rerouting Reno-area mail despite bipartisan pushback and mail ballot concerns
View
Date:2025-04-26 12:14:45
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The USPS announced on Tuesday it will follow through with its plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento, a move that drew bipartisan ire from Nevada lawmakers while raising questions about the rate at which mail ballots can be processed in a populous part of a crucial swing state.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has cast the permanent measure as a cost saving move, but federal, state and local lawmakers have complained about a lack of transparency in the process that could slow mail throughout the region.
Under the plan, all mail from the Reno area will pass through Sacramento before reaching its destination — even from one side of the city to the other.
Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, the state’s top election official, previously said moving operations could slow the processing of mail ballots, and “has the potential to disenfranchise thousands of Nevada voters and would unquestionably impact the results of Nevada’s elections.”
In the Tuesday statement, the USPS said “the business case” supported moving the processes to California, because most of the mail processed in Reno is destined elsewhere. The Reno facility will stay open as an area that prepares mail before it’s sent out. USPS will invest $13.4 million in the facility, mostly for renovations, per the agency.
“This plan for the Reno facility will help USPS achieve the core goals of our Delivering for America plan: financial sustainability for our organization and improved service reliability for our customers,” spokesperson Rod Spurgeon said in an emailed statement.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, who opposes the restructuring, previously told reporters that USPS officials indicated their tentative plan was to begin the rerouting in January, after the 2024 election. But in a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press, Spurgeon said there is no set date for implementation.
Lawmakers have expressed concerns that mail service can be caught in traffic delays even in the best of weather by the hour-long round trip drive over the Sierra Nevada, which lies between Reno and Sacramento. The area is also known for harsh blizzards throughout much of the year, including one in March that dumped up to 10 feet of snow and provided ammo for critics of the move.
Northern Nevada’s congressional delegation — which includes Rosen, Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei — sent a letter to USPS opposing the move and have long spoken out against it.
Other opposition came from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and the Washoe County Commission, which includes Reno.
In a statement following the announcement, Rosen said she was “outraged that out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats think they know what’s best for our state.”
“Let me be absolutely clear: this fight is not over,” she said in the statement. “As a member of the committee with jurisdiction over the Postal Service, I will continue to fight against this ill-advised decision and explore all available options to prevent it from being implemented.”
Lombardo said his administration, along with Nevada’s congressional delegation, will “continue to fight against mismanagement in Washington for timely and efficient mail services for Nevadans.”
___
Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Follow Stern on X, formerly Twitter: @gabestern326.
veryGood! (1684)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- The Voice Season 26 Crowns a New Winner
- Beyoncé will perform halftime during NFL Christmas Day Game: Here's what to know
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Follow Your Dreams
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- 'Mary': How to stream, what biblical experts think about Netflix's new coming
- Michael Bublé Details Heartwarming Moment With Taylor Swift’s Parents at Eras Tour
- Supreme Court allows investors’ class action to proceed against microchip company Nvidia
- Trump's 'stop
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Ranking
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- 'Maria' review: Angelina Jolie sings but Maria Callas biopic doesn't soar
- ParkMobile $32.8 million settlement: How to join class
- Beyoncé takes home first award in country music category at 2024 Billboard Music Awards
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- East Coast storm makes a mess at ski resorts as strong winds cause power outages
- Billboard Music Awards 2024: Complete winners list, including Taylor Swift's historic night
- 'Secret Level' creators talk new video game Amazon series, that Pac
Recommendation
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Stock market today: Asian shares advance, tracking rally on Wall Street
Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed ahead of key US inflation data
US weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rise
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
China's new tactic against Taiwan: drills 'that dare not speak their name'
This house from 'Home Alone' is for sale. No, not that one.
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges