Demand that the U.S. Senate returns from summer recess to save the USPS!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
Tell U.S. Senators to return NOW to vote YES on $25 billion emergency
funding for the USPS!
[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW
[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW

Dear Friend,

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is under attack—and with it, our
democracy, access to prescription medicine, and other essential mail
during a pandemic. In fact, the failure of U.S. Senate Republicans to fund
the USPS is threatening vote-by-mail programs and also is threatening the
delivery of life-saving drugs, supplies, packages, bills, and more. 

Rather than address this critical need, U.S. Senate Republicans remain on
summer holiday.

[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION: USPS needs at minimum $25 billion in emergency funding NOW
in order to continue operations, and even more funding on top of that in
order to handle the expected record surge of mail-in ballots this fall (so
no one’s mailed vote is uncounted due to delays). [1]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, so far, has not only refused to
call the Senate back from summer recess to vote to give USPS emergency
funding, but reports are that U.S. Senate Republicans are prepared to give
only half the minimal emergency relief it needs—$10 billion—as part of a
“skinny COVID” bill. [2]  The USPS needs $25 billion, not $10 billion.

[ [link removed] ]Tell your U.S. Senator: #DoYourJob! The U.S. Senate needs to return to
Washington, DC, NOW to vote YES on $25 billion in funding for the USPS,
and to pass a robust, comprehensive COVID- relief package!

The USPS is a unicorn, that rare public institution enjoying higher than
90% public approval. [3] That’s because the USPS motto rings so true, that
“neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers
from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” [4] U.S. mail has
been so reliable that veterans trust the postal service with 80% of their
prescriptions, [5]  and seniors account for more than half of the 1.2
billion prescriptions a year that USPS delivers. [ [link removed] ]

Furthermore, in this time of social distancing, families across the
country, especially in rural areas (which are often poorly serviced by
private carriers), rely on the postal service to bring critical mail and
items they need. [ [link removed] ]

Don’t let Senate Republicans risk breaking a national treasure, our postal
service, by denying it the emergency funding it needs right now in a
pandemic. 

[6]Tell the U.S. Senate to return to Washington, DC, NOW to vote YES on
$25 billion in funding for the USPS and a robust, comprehensive COVID-
relief package! #DoYourJob.

The postal service is on the verge of collapse due to antiquated and
misguided policy: Its deficits are the result of the 2006 Postal
Accountability and Enhancement Act, passed by Republicans, which not only
cap annual increases in postage, but mandates that the USPS prepay its $72
billion retirement fund (enough for 75 years worth of benefits) – a burden
that no other federal agency bears. [ [link removed] ]

Yes, this ridiculous 2006 Act must be repealed and replaced at some point,
but in the current dumpster fire of events, immediate needs must come
first: The USPS must be given emergency funding NOW in order to pay its
bills and not have to suspend services. But that’s not going to happen as
long as U.S. Senators remain on their summer break.

[7]Tell your U.S. Senator #DoYourJob—there’s no time to lose! Tell them
you want them to return to Washington, DC, NOW to vote YES on $25 billion
in funding for the USPS and to pass a robust, comprehensive COVID-relief
package.

Enough harm has been inflicted already by President Trump’s hand-picked
Postmaster General, Republican mega donor Louis DeJoy, [ [link removed] ] who instituted
wide-scale disruptive changes that discernibly slowed down mail delivery
and damaged trust in the postal system. Due to immense public pressure,
those changes have been suspended for the moment, [ [link removed] ] but Congress must
also take steps to repair that damage, including demanding a clear plan
for how the USPS will replace discarded equipment, reverse the damage
done, and restore the public’s confidence.

[8]Tell the U.S. Senate to return to Washington, D.C., and save the USPS
now!

Please forward this alert to your family, friends, and everyone you know,
and ask them to sign on to our message too! We will deliver our message
and your signature to Congress in the next couple of days, ahead of the
Congressional hearings on Friday and Monday. [ [link removed] ]

In solidarity,

- Gloria, Kristin, Donna, Elyssa, Anita, and the entire
MomsRising/MamásConPoder team

P.S.– [9]JOIN the national day of action this Saturday, August 22, at post
offices across the country to call on Congress to save the post office and
call on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to resign. Click here to find an
action near you.

 

References:

[1] "[10]Why the U.S. Postal Service needs emergency funding to survive
the COVID-19 pandemic," South Florida Sun Sentinel, May 5, 2020.
[2] "[11]Scaled-back GOP aid package would write off $10 billion postal
loan," Roll Call, Aug. 18, 2020.
[3] "[ [link removed] ]U.S. Postal Service Tops List Again as Americans’ Favorite
Government Agency," USPS.gov, Apr. 15, 2020.
[4] PDF: [ [link removed] ]Postal Service Mission and “Motto”
[5] "[ [link removed] ]Trump’s Sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service Threatens the
Delivery of Medications for Seniors, Veterans and Rural Americans,"
Protect Our Care, Aug. 18, 2020.
[6] "[ [link removed] ]USPS Delays Are Causing People To Get Their Prescriptions Late,"
Buzzfeed News, Aug. 17, 2020.
[7] Ibid., Buzzfeed News.
[8] "[ [link removed] ]Congress's war on the post office," Salon.com, Mar. 15, 2012.
[9] "[ [link removed] ]Who is Postmaster General Louis DeJoy?" The Baltimore Sun, Aug.
16, 2020.
[10] "[ [link removed] ]DeJoy suspends Postal Service changes amid election fears,"
Politico, Aug. 18, 2020.
[11] "[ [link removed] ]Postmaster general agrees to testify before Senate, House
lawmakers amid mail-in voting firestorm," ABCNews, Aug. 20, 2020.

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