House Representatives Feel Strongly About Improving Mail Services for Homes & Businesses
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a national treasure, enshrined in the Constitution and supported by the American people. Without any taxpayer funding, the USPS serves 150 million households and businesses each day, providing affordable, universal mail service to all. The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act placed an erroneous pre-funding mandate on the USPS to pay future retiree health benefits 50 years in advance, with an unsustainable payment schedule hardwired into the law. These payments have weakened the Postal Service financially. They have defaulted on the annual payment since 2012. The recent financial losses experienced by the USPS are almost entirely a result of the 2006 law. Declining mail volume alone would not have put the USPS on such fragile financial footing.
Congress urgently needs to pass comprehensive Postal Reform legislation to address the pre-funding mandate, before the USPS continues to diminish service by delaying America’s mail, eliminating door delivery and seeking the end of Saturday mail delivery.
House Resolution 119
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012. The resolution is sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV-01).
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a national treasure, enshrined in the Constitution and supported by the American people. Without any taxpayer funding, the USPS serves 161.4 million households and businesses each day. This country depends on the postal service to “bind the nation together,” connecting people and businesses in numerous ways - collecting, sorting,and delivering medicine, health information, financial and legal transactions, census forms, election mail, greeting cards, letters, periodicals, pension and stimulus checks, and e-commerce packages.
The postal service has a universal service obligation to provide the nation with affordable, universal mail service to all. However, chronic underinvestment and efforts to privatize the postal service threaten USPS’ ability to carry out its universal service obligation. That’s why we must fight off attempts to further degrade service and secure reforms which will improve service standards and mail delivery.
Congress urgently needs to pass measures to guarantee quality mail delivery by restoring service standards to 2012 levels, ensuring the continuation of door delivery, and ensuring 6-day delivery.
House Resolution 109
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers. The resolution is sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL-07).
- Converting existing door-delivery to centralized delivery points is wildly unpopular among small business and residential delivery customers.
- The USPS’ brand is its best asset; that brand is trusted by the American people at their door and inside their businesses, not at a neighborhood cluster box.
- Revenue is generated everyday by Letter Carriers who connect with business owners and other customers at the door.
House Resolution 114 - Passed in Postal Service Reform Act on April 6, 2022
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its 6-day mail delivery service. The resolution is sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11).
- USPS provides affordable last-mile delivery for UPS, FedEx and Amazon to every delivery point in the country, partnerships that have been extremely successful. Without Saturday delivery these companies will find alternate, more expensive means of delivery.
- The Postal Service is delivering in some places 7-days a week now and is offering same-day delivery through partnerships.
- Eliminating Saturday delivery is counterproductive to the thriving e-commerce business the Postal Service is part of.
- Eliminating Saturday delivery will drive business and revenue away. Many mailers target Saturday delivery sending coupons and circulars to be used over the weekend.
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