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CNMI Congresswoman urges fix to 'untenable' mail delays

Photo: AFP Delegate Kimberly King-Hinds is calling for urgent reforms from the United States Postal Service to fix what she called "extreme delivery delays" in mail service to the Northern Mariana Islands. In a formal letter sent last week to newly appointed postmaster, General David Steiner, King-Hinds congratulated him on his appointment but quickly turned attention to what she described as long-standing and worsening postal service issues affecting the Commonwealth. It follows a wave of complaints from CNMI residents and businesses who say mail delays are increasingly untenable and disruptive to daily life. "Mail from the mainland is routinely routed through the San Francisco Processing and Distribution Center and is placed on maritime transport, rather than airmail," the congresswoman wrote. "This results in extreme delivery delays that interfere with access to vital services and materials - prescription medications, legal documents, and critical business supplies among them." According to King-Hinds, residents and businesses in the CNMI have reported wait times of up to eight to 10 weeks for packages and standard mail originating from the continental US - a situation she said runs contrary to USPS' universal service obligation, which requires accessible and timely mail delivery to all US jurisdictions, including insular areas. In her letter, King-Hinds posed a series of pointed questions to the USPS leadership, requesting transparency and data on: "I stand ready to work collaboratively with USPS leadership to ensure all Americans, in any zip code, receive the timely, reliable service they deserve," King-Hinds said in a statement. The congresswoman emphasized that she would continue to press for postal equity and fairness, noting that the current delays not only frustrate consumers but could amount to unequal treatment of US citizens based on geography. King-Hinds had also raised concern about the postal service earlier this year. The USPS has yet to publicly respond to the inquiry.