Sen. Dick Durbin, Aldermen Put Pressure On USPS To Resolve Chicago Mail Delays

CHICAGO (CBS) -- U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and several Chicago aldermen put more pressure Sunday on the U.S. Postal Service to help resolve the problem of severe mail delays in the city.

Durbin held a news conference Sunday calling for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to step down.

"The first thing we're going to do is go to this Postmaster General, Mr. DeJoy – who was appointed under the Trump administration -a and tell him that whatever he's doing is not working for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois," Durbin said.

Durbin said the delays are due to mismanagement of the Postal Service.

Recently, the inspector general found more than 19,000 pieces of undelivered mail sitting in Chicago post offices.

Durbin said another part of the problem/ is severe understaffing at post offices, as well as absentees due to COVID-19.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) has also called for the Chicago postmaster to step down.