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Lawmakers want to make sure the postal service is ready ahead of holiday season after 2021 issues

WASHINGTON DC — Getting your holiday packages on time is one of the challenges the U.S. Postal Service is facing, but it says the rush will not be as bad this year, compared to last year.

The busy holiday shopping and shipping season is almost here, and lawmakers want to make sure the Postal Service is ready.

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As the holiday rush gets underway today, federal lawmakers are taking a closer look at how the Postal Service is preparing for the upcoming holiday season and how changes with Postal Service may impact deliveries in the future.

On Wednesday, those issues were front and center on Capitol Hill.

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Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve last year, the Postal Service processed more than 13 billion pieces of mail, packages, and cards — with lower on-time delivery rates.

Lawmakers like Georgia Rep. Jody Hice are sounding the alarm.

“Doing the same old thing just isn’t going to work,” Hice said.

The Postal Service says it is expecting things to run smoother this year.

It has hired more workers amid concerns about supply issues, as people are ordering things earlier.

According to lawmakers, the Postal Service has had lower on-time delivery rates from November through mid-January. They say slower delivery affects more than just gifts but medicine, unemployment benefits, and Social Security checks that are delivered in the mail during the holiday season too.

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