U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) is continuing his push to hold the United States Postal Service accountable for mail delivery problems across North Alabama, securing new oversight language in a key appropriations bill while renewing calls for long-term investment in the region’s postal infrastructure.
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Strong recently secured a provision in H.R. 7006, the Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, requiring USPS to provide Congress with a briefing on the impacts of consolidating the Huntsville Processing and Distribution Center. The provision advanced as part of a House-passed appropriations package and now awaits consideration in the Senate.
The briefing will focus on how consolidation decisions have affected mail service across North Alabama, where residents and businesses have reported persistent delays and service disruptions.
“The Postal Service’s short-sighted decision to strip Huntsville of its processing and distribution center has failed North Alabama communities,” Strong said.
Concerns over mail service have been a recurring issue throughout Strong’s first term in Congress. He has said his office has heard from hundreds of constituents describing delayed deliveries, damaged packages and operational problems at local post offices.
Many North Alabama residents have reported that their mail routinely arrives days late, with some deliveries taking nearly a week. Strong has noted that seniors are particularly affected, as they are more likely to rely on mailed checks and prescription medications.
“Seniors should not have to fear that their medication could arrive days after their next scheduled dose,” Strong previously said.
Businesses across the region have also raised concerns, contacting Strong’s office to report checks lost or delayed in the mail, sometimes resulting in late fees, service interruptions or concerns about credit scores when payments fail to arrive on time.
On top of delivery delays, Strong has highlighted facility challenges facing postal workers. He has shared constituent-submitted photos showing mail being stored outdoors at the Owens Cross Roads Post Office, citing a lack of adequate space and resources.
“No post office should have to store mail in its parking lot and fail to give its workforce the tools they need to succeed,” Strong said.
Mail service complaints have been reported in communities including Hytop, Harvest and Owens Cross Roads, though Strong has emphasized the problems extend throughout the Tennessee Valley.
The issue has grown more pressing as North Alabama experiences rapid population and industrial growth. Since the 2010 Census, Huntsville’s population has increased by 36%, while Madison County has grown by 23%. Huntsville is now Alabama’s largest city.
USPS began closing the Huntsville Processing and Distribution Facility in 2011, consolidating operations to Birmingham. Strong has argued that the region’s growth justifies restoring a standalone North Alabama-based processing center.
As part of the latest appropriations bill, Strong also secured a separate provision directing USPS to conduct an internal assessment of inaccurate address listings and overlapping ZIP code designations. The review includes long-standing issues affecting Priceville, which does not have its own unique ZIP code.
“This consolidation has led to delays, inefficiencies, and frustration for my constituents, and I will continue pressing USPS for answers and accountability,” Strong said.
Strong has previously raised the issue directly with postal leadership, authoring a letter to the Postmaster General in May 2024 urging USPS to reinvest in a North Alabama-based processing and distribution center and reverse decisions that weakened service for residents and businesses.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News and 256 Today. You may contact her at [email protected].
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