Sen. Hickenlooper said he’s ‘disappointed’ in current solution to fix state’s USPS mail delays

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Senator John Hickenlooper said he's disappointed in the solution on the table to fix the current mail delays.

The delays have left several Coloradans struggling to get medication, packages, and other important mail.

In rural El Paso County, some Peyton residents are driving 40 minutes to get their mail to try and avoid longer waits.

Sen. Hickenlooper told 13 Investigates he met with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the mail issues. He said the USPS should have advantages over companies like FedEx or UPS, but instead it's falling behind.

The senator told 13 Investigates the USPS has been underfunded for nearly two decades and the raising cost of living in many areas creates issues for employees. He hopes that more funding can be added nationally to resolve some of these problems.

A member of the postal union agrees, saying more needs to be done than just hiring.

"We haven't been able to build on those advantages just because we haven't had the resources even to hire enough people to maintain the routes - you know - the routes that we have now," said Hickenlooper.

During their meeting, Hickenlooper said the Postmaster general never provided concrete solutions to the mail delays.

At this moment, the USPS is looking to hire 600 workers across the state.