Press Releases

On Monday, Congressman Mike Ezell testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability about ongoing issues with the Poplarville Post Office.

The full hearing is available here, and an abridged version can be viewed here. Congressman Ezell's prepared testimony is below:

"I want to express my gratitude to the chair and ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability for giving me the opportunity to address critical issues in Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District. "Mr. Chairman, to say the least, I'm frustrated. For 708 days, the residents of Poplarville Mississippi have been without a permanent post office. This started when the Poplarville post office's roof collapsed on January 2, 2022, due to termite damage. Almost a year later, the original post office was deemed unable to save. 

"In the meantime, the United States Post Office has set up two temporary mobile vans similar to ice cream trucks at the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately, these vans are essentially inaccessible to most of the population. Additionally, postal workers are working in substandard conditions, including no restroom and a broken air conditioner amid Mississippi summer heat.

"My constituents were told not to worry and that this would be just a short-term situation while a permanent building is located. I must have a different definition of short-term, because temporary trucks are still in use.

"Just today, I received information that the heater in the truck died, forcing postal workers to work without heat. It was 31 degrees this morning in Poplarville, Mississippi, and several of the senior citizens fell walking up the hill trying to get to the mail. This is not the first time elderly citizens have fallen since this temporary deal has been set up. 

"As you can see over these 708 days, my constituents have faced nearly unimaginable challenges. Yet the post office still claims they're providing "convenient access" to postal services. 

"I recently visited the city and I witnessed the horrible conditions firsthand. That particular day, rain made the situation worse, creating a somehow even more dangerous environment.

"As you can imagine, I've attempted numerous times to get updates from the post office. I have requested a briefing on the situation, sought a meeting with the Vice President of Facilities and consistently asked for updates. Yet I sit here today with still no information as to when a permanent adequate building will be ready, and have not been granted a single meeting request.

"This process is taking forever and I'm committed to ensuring it has to come to an end. The post office apparently is ignoring the severity of the situation or simply does not care. 

"I urge the committee to seriously consider implementing guidelines for situations like Poplarville. Such guidelines could include mandating the United States Postal Service to communicate with local leaders and requiring that a solution must be a break agreed upon within 180 days of determining that an old post office is no longer usable. The residents of Poplarville deserve better than this.

"Thank you again, Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Raskin. I stand ready to assist."