Voters Want to Protect U.S. Postal Service Standards
By Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney
For 245 years, through rain, sleet and snow, the U.S. Postal Service has played an essential role in the lives of all Americans. For many—especially seniors and those living in rural communities—the Postal Service is a lifeline.
Just last year, the Postal Service delivered 142.6 billion pieces of mail to 160 million addresses across the country, including 1.2 billion prescriptions to veterans, more than 10 million Social Security checks to seniors, and countless other necessities to families and businesses across the country. The Postal Service is the only delivery service to which all 331,002,651 Americans have access.
In July, the Postmaster General announced “operational changes” that have caused widespread delays across the country, including cutting back on delivery trips from processing facilities and removing high-speed sorting machines from postal processing plants.
In the middle of a global pandemic—when Americans are relying on the Postal Service more than ever—is not the time to institute major changes. Ahead of the November elections, when 75% of Americans have the option of voting by mail and will be relying on the Postal Service, it is unconscionable. Our democracy depends on an efficiently functioning Postal Service.
The Postal Service has admitted these changes will be “substantial” and “fundamentally change how we run our business.” The effects are being felt across the country. There have been widespread reports of mail being delayed by five or six days and other degradations in service.
An internal Postal Service document, portions of which I released last week in advance of the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s hearing with the Postmaster General, makes the facts clear.
The mail is being delayed at alarming rates. Presorted First Class mail, which includes checks, bills, and absentee ballots, is experiencing overall delays of 8.10%. That means your everyday mail is getting to you at a slower rate than just a few months ago. These delays are far worse than the Postmaster General previously acknowledged.
During the hearing with Postmaster General DeJoy, I gave him a deadline to produce documents he has been withholding from Congress related to the operational changes that have resulted in these delays. I warned him that he could expect a subpoena if he continued withholding this information.
The subpoena has now been delivered, and we will begin to get some answers.
These documents will be vital to understanding why these changes were made in the first place and how we can reverse them to ensure the Postal Service returns to its normal operating procedures.
Americans receive 472.1 million pieces of mail each day, and when just one of those pieces is delayed unnecessarily, that could mean an individual not being able to pay rent on time, a family unable to put food on the table, or a person who won’t receive their ballot.
The solution is clear: the Senate must pass my bill, the Delivering for America Act, which would reverse the operational changes that are resulting in these delays and provide the $25 billion requested by the Postal Service and supported on a bipartisan basis by its Board of Governors to help weather the coronavirus crisis. There is strong bipartisan support for this legislation, and dozens of Republicans voted for my bill in the House, so it is time for the Senate to act.
We need to move quickly to save the Postal Service—a pillar of our economy and our Democracy.
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) represents New York’s 12th Congressional district.