U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO), and Mark Alford (R-MO) introduced the Pony Up Act this week, which aims to protect consumers by holding the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) responsible for the late delivery of bills. Numerous complaints have been made by constituents about having to pay late fees due to bills being delivered late. Additionally, multiple municipal utilities have reported that their bills are not reaching customers in a timely manner. The legislation would require the USPS to pay any late fees incurred on bills due to delayed delivery service.
“All across my district, I continue to receive calls from incredibly frustrated constituents whose mail isn’t arriving on time,” said Congressman Graves. “Late deliveries aren’t just a frustration; they cost people money. If a bill arrives late, you end up paying it late, and that comes with an additional fee. For many small municipalities, they depend on bills being paid to operate. That can’t happen if it never arrives on time. If the Postal Service can’t get their act together and ensure bills are delivered on time, then they should cover the late fee.”
“Hardworking families, Missouri small businesses, and local municipalities shouldn’t have to bear the cost for the failures of Postmaster General DeJoy and his disastrous Delivering for America Plan—which has led to a substantial increase in complaints about the postal service,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Due to consistent delays in delivery across my congressional district, far too many people have been forced to cover the cost for insufficient, untimely mail service. That’s simply not right, and I’m proud to join Reps. Graves and Alford in introducing bipartisan legislation that will ensure our constituents are compensated if they are forced to pay a late fee due to the failed policies of the Postmaster General.”
“The Postal Service is vital, especially for the many rural communities that I represent. It is unacceptable that the USPS has been failing to fulfill its congressionally mandated six-day delivery window. These delays carry tangible consequences; constituents have shared accounts of delayed checks resulting in late fees on bill payments. It is only fair that the Postal Service should reimburse taxpayers for late fees accrued due to USPS delays,” said Congressman Alford.
The bill would enable anyone who incurred a late fee due to the late delivery of a bill to file a claim for late fee repayment. Filing for the repayment would occur online through a portal or in person at any post office.
The legislation would also require a report on delayed mail, providing Congress with relevant and accurate information to identify how effective the Postal Service is and what average delays look like.
The bill can be viewed at this link.
Over the last several years, Congressman Graves and Cleaver have voiced numerous concerns with the USPS about performance issues. In October 2022, Reps. Graves and Cleaver sent a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy expressing concerns about the agency’s failure to fulfill their congressionally mandated duty to provide six-day mail delivery. In December 2022, the Postal Service responded with complaints about low unemployment rates in the Kansas City region and encouraged residents to apply to work at the USPS, without offering a plan for the agency to meet their mandate.
In March 2023, Reps. Graves and Cleaver called on Postmaster General DeJoy to deliver a plan to address mail delivery delays, fulfill the USPS’s legal obligation to deliver mail six days per week and listen to the concerns of Kansas City residents frustrated with the performance of their local USPS branches. Following that letter, the USPS Office of Inspector General announced they would conduct an audit of delayed mail and delivery operations in the Northland and the Kansas City area. The audit was completed in August of the previous year.
In January 2024, Graves and Cleaver led a cohort of fellow lawmakers calling on USPS to halt price increases on stamps, following the agency’s record-breaking fourth rate increase in the last eighteen months. The legislators demanded the USPS address the failings of the Delivering for America Plan and improve the performance issues of the USPS to justify a price hike for consumers.
