Press Releases

Liberty, NY – U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) today called out the United States Postal Service (USPS) for failing to take action on mail service issues that have prevented residents in predominantly Jewish communities in Sullivan County from receiving mail.

Since taking office, Rep. Molinaro has worked to address significant mail service issues in Liberty, Fallsburg, Thompson, and Bethel. Rep. Molinaro submitted over 500 addresses in Sullivan County to the USPS that were not receiving mail. Over two months later, residents at these addresses are still not receiving mail. Rep. Molinaro also requested a briefing from the USPS for Sullivan County residents. That request was denied.

Finally, Rep. Molinaro negotiated a temporary fix for impacted residents, whereby a designee from each community could come to local post offices and pick up bundles of mail for multiple families. After this agreement was reached and a pickup was attempted, the local post offices claimed to have no knowledge of the agreements and, again, prevented Sullivan County residents from receiving their mail.

In a letter to the USPS Postmaster General DeJoy, Rep. Molinaro demanded urgent action from the USPS on these issues and questioned their lack of responsiveness.

Rep. Molinaro wrote, “These predominantly Jewish communities have been treated with such disregard, it only leads one to an unfortunate conclusion. These residents feel, and I can’t blame them, that it is their faith that has resulted in this treatment. The fact that they would be left with the underlying observation and feeling of antisemitism is incredibly unfortunate, alarming, and the result of your lack of responsiveness.”

Abe Rutner, an activist in Sullivan County said, “I would like to express my gratitude to Rep Molinaro and his staff for their dedicated efforts in resolving the ongoing issue with the USPS. Sullivan County, particularly in the Fallsburg area, has experienced a significant increase in new residences. It is worth noting that various systems such as the 911 system, utilities, FedEx, and UPS have successfully recognized and accommodated these new addresses. Unfortunately, the postal service has been unwilling to acknowledge these addresses, leading to the denial of mail delivery for thousands of residents. Meanwhile in year 2023, where online shopping has become increasingly prevalent. We sincerely hope that the USPS will finally take the necessary steps to rectify this situation and do what is right for the residents of Sullivan County.”

The full text of the letter can be found here:

Dear Postmaster General DeJoy:

I wrote to you on April 24th, 2023 about issues my constituents have been facing regarding the lack of mail delivery. I have yet to receive a response over two months later. This is unacceptable.

I will reiterate the issue that should be addressed immediately. The county in my district where mail services issues are occurring is Sullivan County, New York. This community has a significant Jewish population, and it appears their issues are being deliberately ignored. Since last year, many of the housing developments in Sullivan County have not been receiving mail or packages at all. This is an issue that my staff and I have been very involved in since I took office in January 2023 and an issue my constituents have been dealing with even before I took office.

The community and my office have been in communication with the USPS for several months on these issues and we have yet to see resolve. We have since sent over 500 new addresses for input into the Address Management System (AMS) that were previously unrecognized and over two months later, still have yet to see these addresses added nor have we received a response as to why there is such a delay. Under no circumstance should an American taxpayer not be able to receive their mail for months on end. This is an absolute failure and insult to my constituents by USPS.

The following towns associated with their respective post offices are facing issues with mail delivery: The Towns of Liberty, Fallsburg, Thompson, and Bethel. The post offices are located Fallsburg (12733) South Fallsburg (12779), Thompsonville (12784), White Lake (12786), Ferndale (12734), Swan Lake (12783) and Woodbourne (12788). My office has continued to be stonewalled from a number of postmasters in the affected communities and was recently denied a briefing on this issue by Tiffany Whitehead who is with the USPS District 3 Consumer Relations office. This failure by the USPS continues to be unacceptable as my constituents are ignored by the USPS.

Finally, we have also attempted to negotiate temporary fixes for impacted families and individuals. An agreement was reached with Joan Trombley (since retired), whereby a designee from each community could come to local post offices and pick up bundles of mail for multiple families. After we reached this agreement and a pickup was attempted, the local post offices claimed to have no knowledge of the agreements and, again, prevented my constituents from receiving their mail.

As I mentioned, these predominantly Jewish communities have been treated with such disregard, it only leads one to an unfortunate conclusion. These residents feel, and I can’t blame them, that it is their faith that has resulted in this treatment. The fact that they would be left with the underlying observation and feeling of antisemitism is incredibly unfortunate, alarming, and the result of your lack of responsiveness.

We have exhausted every legitimate effort to help them locally. You have ignored our calls for assistance and despite this, I reach out again and stand ready to cooperate in any way to get them their mail delivery. I have reattached a copy of my original letter for your convenience and prompt response. While an answer to my previous letter sent in April along with this letter is expected by July 7th, 2023, a resolution to this matter is most important.

I cannot adequately express my displeasure with their treatment nor understate a growing sentiment within the community. Your prompt address is necessary and appreciated.