USPS hits pause on downgrading Sioux Falls processing center

A plan to downgrade some U.S. Postal Service processing centers, including one in Sioux Falls, is on hold until at least 2025.

The move was made public in a letter from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who sent a bipartisan letter signed by himself and 25 other senators, including Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), "calling on USPS to stop the facility and transportation changes in its network plan until they can be studied to ensure they will not harm mail delivery service."

In Sioux Falls' case, the downgrade would mean that mail sent from the city would first go to Omaha, where its final destination would then be determined even if that was heading right back to Sioux Falls.

More: US Postal Service to downgrade South Dakota mail operations

While DeJoy's letter said he agreed to pause the shift of processing operations until at least Jan. 1, 2025, he continued to say in the letter the efforts "will both improve the facilities and facilitate the significant cost reductions that we absolutely must achieve to have any hope of financial sustainability."

He also warned the pause would also mean a pause in the cost savings of $133-$137 million that they had expected to see.

Rounds tweeted Monday afternoon that he was "pleased to see that the postal service is pausing the downsizing of mail processing facilities in SD following concerns and my subsequent letter to Postmaster Louis DeJoy. This is a step in the right direction to protecting rural mail services across our state."

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: USPS hits pause on downgrading Sioux Falls processing center