On Wednesday, October 14, the day after the Democratic Presidential debate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) spoke to the American Postal Workers Union All Craft Conference. Senator Sanders is a supporter of the Postal Service. Addressing the Conference, he talked about the need to preserve mail delivery standards and change the existing legal mandate for the USPS to prefund the health benefits of future USPS retirees.
The Senator noted that the USPS provides universal service six days a week and supports millions of jobs nationwide. “Providing fewer services and poorer quality is not the way to save the Postal Service,” he said.
During the previous Congress, Senator Sanders introduced the Postal Service Protection Act. Thirty Democratic colleagues co-sponsored his bill. The proposed legislation was supported by postal unions and sought to reinstate overnight delivery, which would have protected mail processing plants. The legislation would also have allowed the USPS to expand its business opportunities. For example, Senator Sanders supports allowing the USPS to offer financial services to customers whose only current options may be to rely upon “payday” lenders.