Help fix the U.S. Postal Service by emailing Congress

Monday, June 07, 2021

Did you know that in 2006, Congress passed a law that changed the fate of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)? This piece of legislation required USPS to preemptively fund its employee benefits … 75 years in advance—meaning that USPS has to pre-pay billions of dollars each year. Even though the USPS typically generates more than $70 billion in revenue—a number that would make it 40th on the Fortune 500 list—its earnings have been eclipsed by this financial setback, accounting for tens of billions in losses. 

Now, new legislation, The Postal Service Reform Act of 2021, will help solve this problem by eliminating the Congressional requirement for USPS to pre-fund retiree benefits. However, the bill still falls short when it comes to consumer protections. 

Planned rate hikes and loose delivery schedules could lead to untenable prices and reduced service, both of which would drive businesses away from using the USPS and make it even less reliable and more expensive for the rest of us. That’s because USPS gets no taxpayer money, and businesses pay for about 90% of the postal system’s costs.

The Postal Service Reform Act is our opportunity to make sure that USPS is not only on better financial footing but also to make sure that it continues to work as it should—and that it gets even better.

Make your voice heard by asking your members of Congress to make amendments to this legislation to guarantee affordable, reliable mail and shipping options for businesses and individuals across the country. Click here.