Sen. Ruben Gallego urges for home mail delivery in San Luis, Arizona

WASHINGTON (KYMA) - During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) pressed Postmaster General David Steiner on the lack of home mail delivery in San Luis, Arizona.

The city's only post office, according to a press release obtained by KYMA, "has been overwhelmed by decades of explosive population growth and worsened by congestion at the nearby border crossing."

"In San Luis, Arizona, the Postal Service does not provide home or mail delivery. That means residents are forced to retrieve mail from a P.O. box at a local post office. Forty years ago, San Luis was 2,000 people. It is now 35,000 people,” said Sen. Gallego. "As a result, San Luis's sole post office is heavily congested and running out of space and capacity."

The press release says the senator has heard from those affected by the lack of delivery service, which includes residents "working multiple jobs and disabled veterans waiting on their benefit checks."

"We've been asking the post office for almost generations now. Do you think that the post office can find the time, the money, and the focus to actually add more home delivery in this booming town of 35,000?" Gallego expressed.

Postmaster General Steiner responded to the senator's question, saying "We can do whatever you want. We will do whatever you want. Who's going to pay?"

Steiner also said he was "glad to personally take a look at the situation," noting he has to weigh individual cases against the Postal Service's broader network of 170 million delivery points yearly.

KYMA spoke to some locals who say home mail delivery is much needed because it not only more convenient, but it will also improve their quality of life.

"It will be more convenient if a receive the mail at home because it's hot to bring my kids with me, and I got a of things to do," said Claudia Avina, a San Luis resident.

"Sometimes we lose our bills, or are past due because we can't come everyday. We try to come twice a week, but when we missed important letters, that's when we are in trouble," said Rafael Leon, another San Luis resident.

Steiner agreed to continue the conversation with Gallego to find a solution to the San Luis Post Office situation.

To watch the hearing, see attached video.