Gottheimer demands transparency, action from USPS leadership regarding Lafayette Township post office

LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Tuesday called on United States Postal Service leadership to uphold its pledge to reestablish a post office in Lafayette Township, five years after they suspended operations.

Since USPS’s 2019 decision to close the post office, Congressman Gottheimer and his team have corresponded with the Postal Service, advocating for a full restoration of service.

USPS has repeatedly miscommunicated and delayed plans for the post office, hurting the people of Lafayette who rely on the postal service to pay their bills, access their medication, and connect with friends and loved ones.

“After years of persistent delays, miscommunications, and blatant non-response from leadership at the United States Postal Service, Lafayette, New Jersey is still without a post office. It’s disgraceful that the United States Postal Service has completely blown off this community, and we’re here to state loud and clear that we’ve had enough,” Gottheimer said. “Let me be clear: I’m incredibly proud of the postal workers who handle and deliver our mail, rain or shine. They work incredibly hard and do yeoman’s work. It’s clear that the rot at USPS is at the top with leaders who are either incapable or unwilling to serve the public.”

USPS’s lack of leadership for Lafayette is indicative of broader problems facing the postal service in New Jersey. New data from the Office of the Inspector General shows that service in New Jersey has gotten even worse over the past year. More than ten percent of mail is late.

Change of address fraud, where criminals can go to a local branch or to USPS’s website and change individuals’ addresses without ever being asked for ID, jumped by 167 percent between 2020 and 2021. Branches like Teaneck face continued reports of theft — with little intervention from USPS’s national leaders. During the event, Gottheimer called for transparency, responsiveness, and effective leadership from USPS to address these significant issues.

Timeline of Postal Issues in Lafayette 

• July 2019: USPS announced that it would suspend operations at Lafayette Post Office due to “…concerns for the aging condition” of the facility. Gottheimer sent a letter to Postmaster General Brennan explaining his concerns about the lack of communication regarding this decision, both internally within USPS and externally between USPS and community stakeholders.
• April 2022: USPS announces a new location for the Lafayette Post Office after three years of delays.
• April 2023: USPS confirms its intent to build on the agreed upon site in Lafayette by funding architectural plans and sending a lease to the proprietor.
• November 2023: Gottheimer’s office requests an update on the site after seven months of delays.
• December 2023: In response to an email from Gottheimer’s office, USPS blamed the delay on a funding modification and claimed it would take 120 days to finalize the funding process.
• April 2024: USPS repeatedly missed deadlines and correspondence from Gottheimer’s office before finally confirming the site was “not viable.”
• May 2024: USPS leaders at the federal level met with Congressman Gottheimer’s staff and had not seen documents confirming the Lafayette Post Office plan, provided by USPS’s local leadership.
• May 2024: USPS Government Relations declined a follow-up meeting with Congressman Gottheimer, claiming they had nothing new to share.

During the event, Gottheimer announced plans to to work directly with the House Appropriations Committee to allocate specific funding for Lafayette to receive a new post office. He will also offer an amendment to make sure that we hold USPS accountable for its continued disregard of people in Northwestern New Jersey and overall failure to combat fraud and provide timely service to Americans across the country.

Gottheimer was joined by Lafayette Mayor Alan Henderson and Deputy Mayor Kevin O’Leary.