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Bipartisan Group Urges House and Senate Leaders to Save the Postal Service

Connolly, Maloney, King, Amodei Launch Bipartisan “Postal Preservation Caucus”

Washington, April 30, 2020
 Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, Rep. Peter King, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee, and Rep. Mark Amodei sent a letter to House and Senate leadership urging swift passage of bipartisan legislation to give the Postal Service the assistance it needs to keep functioning on behalf of the American people.

“The coronavirus crisis is wreaking havoc on the U.S. Postal Service.  Without immediate help from Congress and the Administration, the Postal Service—a vital staple of American society since 1775—could cease to function by this summer,” the lawmakers wrote.  “This is a national emergency.  The negative effects of this crisis will be borne hardest by those in rural areas—where millions of Americans are currently sheltering in place and relying on the Postal Service to deliver essential supplies.”

First class and business mail volume are dropping at an alarming rate as a direct result of the coronavirus crisis.  Mail volume is down by more than 30% from the same period last year.

The Postal Service estimates revenue losses of $13 billion by the end of this fiscal year.  Over the next ten years, the Postal Service estimates that losses caused by the coronavirus would be $54 billion.

The bipartisan Postal Service Board of Governors unanimously asked Congress to approve $25 billion in emergency appropriations to offset coronavirus-related losses, $25 billion for “shovel-ready” projects to modernize the Postal Service, and access to $25 billion in unrestricted borrowing authority from Treasury.

“We strongly support emergency funding for the Postal Service and urge you to do the same.  The Postal Service is an indispensable component of America’s critical infrastructure, and its workers are on the frontlines every single day delivering information and packages to the American people,” added the lawmakers.  “We must save it now.”

The Members also launched the bipartisan Postal Preservation Caucus today to continue to highlight the severity of the financial situation at the Postal Service.

Click here to read today’s letter.
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