APPLETON CITY, Mo. — The president of the Missouri Farm Bureau wants the United States Postal Service to reconsider a plan to change how it services customers more than 50 miles from a regional processing facility.
Garrett Hawkins wrote a letter to the postmaster general arguing the plan would negatively impact rural Americans like the members of his organization.
"It impacts our quality of life, it impacts our ability to do business," Hawkins told KSHB 41 News. "For those that depend on reliable mail to receive critical medicines they take every day, it doesn’t make sense."
USPS has proposed implementing a regional transportation optimization plan in 2025.
Under the plan, postal employees would only collect mail from offices more than 50 miles from a regional processing facility in the morning instead of in the afternoon like it currently does.
That means outgoing mail from Hawkins and many others would sit overnight instead of being sorted and processed.
“We’re talking basically a 24-hour delay,” Hawkins pointed out.
A USPS fact sheet about the proposal explains the regional transportation optimization plan is one piece of a larger plan to save the agency $3 billion annually.
The postal service said the plan will cut down on greenhouse emissions and improve service to areas within 50 miles of a procession facility.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is "really concerned" about the proposal. He grilled nominees for the USPS Board of Governors during a hearing this month.
"Would you commit to using your position — your very significant position of influence and oversight — to reconsider this proposal and ensure rural Americans in my state, your state, every state are getting full and regular delivery of the mail," Hawley asked the nominees.
A USPS spokesperson said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will respond directly to Hawkins.
"Basically, it means they’re going to treat those of us who live in rural areas different than our urban and suburban counterparts,” Hawkins said.
In July, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II called on DeJoy to resign after an audit found deficiencies within the Kansas City area.
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KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.