Senator continues to prioritize access for rural Missourians, oppose efforts to balance books on backs of rural families and businesses
WASHINGTON – More than one year after the U.S. Senate approved bipartisan legislation to address the finances of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and keep rural post offices open, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today reiterated that her focus remains on ensuring that postal access for rural Americans isn’t compromised.“Post offices remain the center of many rural communities, and I hear from Missourians every day telling me that postal access is critically important for their businesses and families,” said McCaskill, a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over the USPS. “As this reform bill moves forward, my priorities will continue to focus on that access, and ensuring that our residents keep their service intact.”

The Senate is returning to consideration of postal reform more than one year after Senators approved similar bipartisan legislation. The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives refused to vote on the reform legislation during the last Congress, forcing Congress to restart the process this year. The delay further exacerbated USPS financial challenges and left in limbo the future of postal service for rural communities.

McCaskill, who today attended a Senate hearing on the issue, also questioned whether the USPS is taking enough advantage over its monopoly on rural delivery. The USPS often delivers packages for UPS and FedEx the “last mile” to their intended recipients. McCaskill argued that, rather than consolidating its rural network as some have suggested, the USPS should be capitalizing more on its unique rural capabilities and services.

Last year, McCaskill waged a successful year-long battle to keep hundreds of rural post offices in rural Missouri open and operating. McCaskill has previously argued that shutting down rural post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, and cutting Saturday mail delivery would deal significant blows to communities across rural America as well as to the Postal Service itself.