US Postal Service hit with lawsuit over DeJoy's plan to slow delivery of first-class mail

• The lawsuit demands public hearings be held on proposed changes at USPS.
• Beginning this month, USPS began slowing the delivery of first-class mail.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have signed on to a lawsuit that accuses the US Postal Service of pursuing "significant and nationwide changes" without proper consultation, CBS News reported Friday.

Under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, USPS has abandoned its commitment to delivering first-class mail in three days or less.

Beginning October 1, such mail can now take up to five days to be delivered, part of what DeJoy bills as a 10-year plan to cut costs. The change will delay an estimated 39% of first-class mail and periodicals.

In their complaint, the attorneys general for Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and other Democratic-led states argue that DeJoy's plan should not have been adopted without first requesting the opinion of the Postal Regulatory Commission, an advisory body that would hold public hearings. The commission has previously expressed concern over the proposal to delay mail delivery.

Without such a consultative process, USPS is violating federal statute, the attorneys general argue, and diminishing "the Postal Service's transparency and accountability."

In January, 21 attorneys general issued a joint statement arguing that DeJoy's proposed changes would harm rural communities and, in particular, threaten the timely delivery of mail-in ballots.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com