United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is moving forward with plans to have all of Reno's outgoing mail sent to Sacramento for processing.
Both Governor Joe Lombardo and Senator Jacky Rosen were in Reno on Tuesday to reaffirm that they're against it.
A few weeks ago, they sent a bipartisan letter to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service to step in.
With the postal service appearing to be set on moving forward, the lawmakers say they will look towards other avenues to try and make sure outgoing mail processing stays in Reno.
"If these actions don't work, I'm here to announce that I'm working on legislation to put a stop to all of this," Senator Rosen said.
"I'm proud to stand next to Senator Rosen and this effort," Governor Lombardo said. "This is not a partisan issue. It's a bipartisan issue and it's for the people in the state of Nevada."
Senator Rosen says they're still working on the specifics of that legislation.
Both the Governor and Senator expressed many concerns with how this move could affect seniors, veterans and those who are receiving SNAP and Medicaid benefits.
They also pointed out how frequently Donner Pass closes during the winter months.
The USPS said in a statement:
"As we have stated directly to the public, as a matter of good practice, we will not be moving any of our Reno mail processing functions until after the Election and after the Peak Season. It’s also important to clarify some of the misinformation regarding the types of mail we are changing the handling of. All incoming mail from around the nation and world bound for Northern Nevada residents will continue to be received, processed, sorted and delivered by local employees. This includes medications, checks, correspondence and packages. The claims by some that this type of mail will be delayed are false. The only mail processing function we are moving out of the area is the outgoing mail – the mail sent by our customers to recipients. Much of this mail was already going to Sacramento to connect with the larger ground and air network. This change simply takes out the first handling, advancing the mail into the network earlier and more efficiently."
The postal service says this move will save them $3 million to $4 million in its first year.
Senator Rosen says she has not received the actual data that confirms that.
"That's what we're asking the Postmaster to talk to us about. To show us his analysis, to show us the numbers, and if he wants to modernize and do all of that, then why don't we invest in Nevada, invest in our communities, keep the jobs here, keep the processing here," the Senator said.
While it won't impact this upcoming election, Governor Lombardo does worry how this move can impact elections moving forward.
"Everybody knows we're dealing with ballots being counted after the closing of an election day and we're trying to deal with that of the state and ensure people have an understanding of how the voting integrity is operating but this makes it even more worse," the Governor said.
Senator Rosen did say that they were able to postpone this move until January 2025.
