CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, released the following statement on the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) decision to convert the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) into a Local Processing Center (LPC).
“Let me be perfectly clear: today’s decision to downgrade the Charleston Processing & Distribution Center to a Local Processing Center is a slap in the face of every West Virginian that spent their Valentine’s Day at a public meeting to make their voices heard. Not only is this transition an injustice to the West Virginians who work at the facility and the families and businesses who rely upon timely mail service, it is also economically irresponsible. Every piece of our mail will now have to travel hundreds of miles from Charleston to Pittsburgh, where both the cost of living and operating a facility are significantly higher, and then back to West Virginia. Simply put, the assertion by the Postal Service that their decision will improve service for West Virginians is completely false.
“Just two years ago, Congress had to bail out the Postal Service because it was hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. We did so because of the essential services it provides to communities, especially rural ones, but that historic investment of taxpayer dollars came with an obligation to address the concerns of American taxpayers when making major decisions. This is clearly not the case, as this downgrade comes after months of strong opposition from thousands of West Virginians through the public comment period, as well as from our bipartisan Congressional delegation. Today’s decision directly defies the Postal Service’s self-proclaimed mission of reliably serving every community, and I will be asking for a complete audit of the services being given in exchange for the money taken.”
A timeline of Senator Manchin’s recent efforts to support the Charleston postal facility:
- On February 27, 2024, Senator Manchin submitted a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to express his concern with the initial findings of the Mail Processing Facility Review.
- On February 15, 2024, Senator Manchin published an op-ed in the Charleston Gazette Mail on the importance of protecting services at the facility.
- On February 1, 2024, Senator Manchin released a statement on the USPS’s initial findings for the Mail Processing Facility Review.
- On December 14, 2023, Senator Manchin submitted a public comment to the USPS to express his support for the Charleston postal facility and its employees.
- On December 8, 2023, Senator Manchin visited the Charleston postal facility to support the workers and reaffirm his commitment to keeping West Virginia mail services in the state.
- On December 2, 2023, Senator Manchin released a statement after speaking with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the Mail Processing Facility Review.
- On November 29, 2023, Senator Manchin released a statement on the USPS’s decision to conduct the Mail Processing Facility Review.