April 30, 2020
Today the House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced the creation of the Postal Preservation Caucus. The bi-partisan group’s first action was to send a letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to provide emergency funding needed by the US Postal Service to continue operations during the Coronavirus pandemic and thereafter. The co-founders created the new caucus for the purpose of better informing their colleagues on the struggles the USPS currently faces and the need for financial assistance in the next stimulus package.
The Coronavirus pandemic has directly caused a 30% drop in mail volume. This decrease in volume and revenue has compounded the financial difficulties faced by the USPS for the last decade. The Postal Service estimates revenue losses of $13 billion by the end of this fiscal year as a direct result of the Coronavirus. Immediate aid from the next Coronavirus relief package will enable to USPS to survive the current crisis.
“ 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 and $10 billion in the next fiscal year as a direct result of the crisis. Over the next ten years, the Postal Service estimates that losses caused by the coronavirus would be $54 billion.
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.”
Postal Preservation Caucus Letter to Congressional Leaders
Postal Preservation Caucus Co-Founders are Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, 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 of Nevada.
Representatives Maloney, Connolly, and Amodei are long-time supporters of the USPS and AUSPL. Maloney and Connolly have been speakers at the 2019 and 2020 Hill Day Events, and Rep. Amodei addressed the general session of the 2016 AUSPL Annual Conference in Reno.
Read the letter To Congress here
See the Oversight Committee Press Release here