Mail, Package Processing Still Seeing Post-Anthrax Delays The Hill
WASHINGTON, April 13–Constituents who are paying for premium overnight delivery services like United Parcel Service and Federal Express to deliver packages to their members of Congress may be wasting their money.
As a result of the Anthrax-tainted letters that were delivered to the Capitol last fall and shut down the Hart Senate Office Building for three months, the processing of mail and packages has been dramatically altered for all congressional offices.
Now parcels must be delivered to an off-site screening facility at an undisclosed location where they are screened for biological contaminants and test results are sent for laboratory analysis to determine packages are safe.
Once that is accomplished, congressional offices are notified that they have a package ready for delivery or more immediate pick up. This entire process can delay the delivery of packages to congressional offices by anywhere from 3-7 days, but no packages or mail is directly delivered overnight to congressional offices as a result of the increased screening.
“We take very seriously any health concerns Senate [and House] staff bring to our attention. Therefore, I have asked a team of scientific, environmental, medical and postal professionals to evaluate established mail procedures and to seek opportunities for improvement where needed,” said Senate Sergeant at Arms Alfonso E.Lenhardt in statement released to explain the change in the handling of mail and packages.
The off-site facility is managed by Pitney Bowes and was established by the Legislative Mail Task Force set up to evaluate the handling of mail in the wake of the Anthrax letters.
Some members noted that although they feel safer with the process, they may not receive an express package from between three to seven days past a constituent’s original ship date.
“This is the best the Senate and House administrations can be doing at the moment,” said U.S. Connecticut Rep. James H. Maloney, D-5th. On the other hand, he added, “I pride myself on constituent service so it’s very frustrating when someone says; ‘I sent you something FedEx a week ago’ and (me or my staff) have to say that the reason we haven’t responded is because we haven’t gotten it yet.”
Although many people were originally disturbed at not being able to get things to members of Congress more quickly, spokespeople for both FedEx and UPS said customers’ complaints have tapered off since more information about the screening process has been made public. However, they have not lowered prices for delivery to the Capitol even though it cannot be guaranteed to arrive in member’s offices overnight.
David A. Bolger, the director of public relations for UPS, said “If this was something we were in control of, we would make sure our customers got the better option in pricing, but since it is something the entire competitive landscape is in we are staying with our current price structure.”
Once FedEx delivers a package to the screening facility within a customer’s requested time frame, a company spokesperson said, the shipping company is no longer responsible for any delays involved in the package reaching its final destination.
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman’s staff, which moved back to the Hart building in late January after being displaced for three months after the attacks, has compensated for the delays by having important documents faxed or e-mailed instead.
“Faxing and e-mailing through our web site is the quickest way to contact us,” said Casey Aden-Wansbury, Lieberman’s press secretary. “Using regular mail also works, it just takes longer – an average of two weeks, and sometimes longer – to reach us.”
All U.S. Postal Service mail to the Capitol, as well as to much of the Capitol Hill residential neighborhood, is being irradiated at an off-site facility. A postal service spokesperson said this process is expected to continue indefinitely.
The USPS spokesperson said the screening process adds about an extra two days of delivery time for letters and large, lightweight manila envelopes.
The staff of U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd, has also devised other avenues of communication to minimize constituent complaints, including posting a message on the congresswoman’s website to inform constituents of delayed mail services, according to Ashley Westbrook, who is DeLauro’s press secretary.
Maloney’s staff also has large documents and books they are expecting sent to his Waterbury district office and then transferred to Washington. Although district offices also have their own screening process, it is not as lengthy as the one taking place in Washington.
“But this is not for public use because that would subvert the whole screening process,” Maloney said. “We have (also) used personal addresses for mail that we knew was secure because we’ve been generating it ourselves.”
Congressional members and their staffs also recommend constituents call or email their offices before shipping an item to alert them of its arrival.
Published in The Waterbury Republican-American, in Waterbury, Connecticut.
