(KLZA)-- Missouri 6th District Congressman Sam Graves from Tarkio says one thing taking away from holiday joy during the Christmas season is the lack of consistent mail delivery.

Graves said in his weekly update to constituents that regardless of where we live, the U.S. Postal Service has major problems, and they aren't improving and are in fact getting worse. Graves says grievances with the post office are being heard every day across North Missouri and across the country.

The USPS is now wanting to utilize what they call “Regional Transportation Optimization,” which would cut the number of times the Postal Service would visit rural post offices to pick up outgoing mail. Graves says this will inevitably cause more delays for those living in rural America.

Graves has written the Postmaster General to let him know this is a terrible idea, calling it downright shameful. These changes would effectively create a two-tiered mail system. Rural Americans don’t deserve to be treated as second-class citizens, but that- exactly what the bureaucrats at USPS are bound and determined to do.
At the same time, they’ve been raising postage rates repeatedly—essentially, pay more, get less.
Graves notes that most of this doesn’t fall on the local carriers, it- a management issue. Yet, we need more folks dedicated to delivering the mail on time.
Graves assures his constituents that this fight is far from over. He says the people of Missouri deserve better, and we will continue pushing for accountability and improvements.