The problem of delayed mail persists — both incoming and outgoing packages by air.
CNMI Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds announced on Sept. 5 that her office has been working to address the suspension of outbound airmail from the Marianas. She wrote:
“This week, I met with senior White House officials, who confirmed that the intent of Executive Order 14324 was not to impact mail services from the CNMI. They assured me that they are working with USPS and CBP to resolve this issue, which so far appears to affect only Guam and the CNMI, and no longer impacts inbound mail delivery. Reliable mail service is essential for families, businesses, and healthcare needs of our islands.”
Well said. King-Hinds also shared her update on Facebook so her constituents could see the work being done.
Residents still are complaining about incoming mail. If you look at the Facebook group Ask Guam, there are dozens of comments from residents frustrated that USPS priority packages have been delayed for weeks, sometimes months. This problem didn’t begin yesterday. Guam has faced mail headaches for almost a year, especially with incoming packages routed through the dreaded San Francisco hub. If it lands there, it’s over.
But the current suspension of outbound airmail is different. It appears tied to how federal agencies are interpreting a new executive order.
King-Hinds has already raised the issue with the White House and made it public. We don’t really know what the Guam delegate has done. He has yet to show the same urgency or transparency. There has been no update on his congressional website or social media communication channels as of Sept. 6.
Here is the Sept. 5 letter from the CNMI delegate, laying out what’s being done to fix the outbound mail crisis.
As the late British parliamentarian Tony Benn once said: “The best way to judge a politician is not by their speeches but by their silences.”