U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) released a statement following U.S. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy’s announcement on changes to mail operations

Today, U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) released a statement following U.S. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy’s announcement on changes to mail operations at the Knoxville Processing Facility following a Mail Processing Facility Review: 

“I appreciate Postmaster General DeJoy taking my call last week and listening to my concerns about the possible relocation of local distribution operations. I’m glad to see USPS will keep the Knoxville facility open and invest in modernization improvements,” said Rep. Burchett. “I will keep monitoring how these changes impact folks in my district, and I’ll continue advocating to make sure the U.S. Postal Service does everything it can to take care of its employees in East Tennessee and the people who rely on its services.” 

Rep. Burchett serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, one of the congressional committees with jurisdiction over the postal service.  

BACKGROUND ON REP. BURCHETT’S POSTAL EFFORTS: 

Rep. Burchett has been closely following issues with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and advocating for the needs of East Tennesseans since he came to Congress, but especially in recent months.  

On December 1, 2023, Rep. Burchett sent a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy regarding a meeting between USPS employees and East Tennesseans to discuss the potential move, which Rep. Burchett found unsatisfactory. In this letter, Rep. Burchett also requested a meeting with Postmaster General DeJoy to discuss these issues.  

DeJoy did not provide a written response to this letter.  

On December 8, 2023, Rep. Burchett joined Reps. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01) and Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) in a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy asking for answers on the USPS Mail Processing Facility Review studies and final plans for the Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Johnson City mail handling centers.  

On January 9, 2024, Postmaster General DeJoy sent a response to the December 8 letter.  

Rep. Burchett later followed up on his December 1, 2023 request to meet with Postmaster General DeJoy, which was finally scheduled as a phone call on March 26, 2024. In this call, Postmaster General DeJoy shared details on how he is working to make USPS more efficient and assured Rep. Burchett of the importance of the Knoxville mail processing facility.