Senator: ‘There is no way a privatization model delivers the same level of service to rural America as they currently receive’
WASHINGTON – At a Senate hearing today focused on government reorganization, including the potential privatization of the United States Postal Service, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill highlighted the negative impact such a proposal would have on rural communities—including reduced access to the critical services Missourians in rural communities rely on.
“We all understand that a business model of privatization for postal results in one reality: the same reality that faced rural communities when it was time for them to get electricity—the same reality that faces rural communities when they need to get broadband. And that is, there is no business model that will provide the level of profit that that last mile of real estate requires,” McCaskill said. “And if you look at what’s going on in rural America right now, the hope for rural America is… the ability of rural Americans to participate in small business by online participation. So that’s why we spent so much time talking about rural broadband. But if you don’t have the delivery of the packages, … that is absolutely a big step backwards for economic vibrancy in our rural communities. There is no way a privatization model delivers the same level of service to rural America as they currently receive. … I know what privatization means for rural Missouri, and I will not go there on postal.”
McCaskill serves as the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters related to government reform, as well as the United States Postal Service. The hearing featured testimony from Margaret Weichert, the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget.
McCaskill has long worked to improve postal service and hold the agency accountable, particular for Missourians in rural communities. Earlier this year, she sent a letter to the Administration’s Postal Task Force, urging it to prioritize reliable access in rural communities and improved delivery times. McCaskill has been fighting to fix a bizarre quirk in which some Missouri residents have Iowa and Arkansas mailing addresses, causing unnecessary problems for the affected Missourians. She called for postal reforms after a Postal Service Inspector General report found that mismanagement led to up to two billion pieces of delayed mail.
McCaskill has also called for answers from the Postmaster General following reports from Missouri postal managers that their staffing needs have been disregarded. She joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce a comprehensive postal reform bill that will put the Postal Service on firm financial footing, improve performance in rural communities, and allow for the development of new products and services. McCaskill is widely credited with having waged a successful campaign over several years to save rural post offices in Missouri and maintain delivery standards.
with a puss like that….she could stop the mail dead in its tracks! how old is she? 150!
Good job Senator. It just seems the far left and the far right , just give crap to each other, sensible logic prevails for all to benefit.
Good job? Well, if you say so. But explain to me the actual bill. I’ve never seen so much gobbledygook since the last income tax instruction book. Involve Medicare in this bill? This is political posturing, at best. Many things need addressing within the service – but it should be done piece-meal. One thing at a time. You can’t (and don’t) expect a large group to agree on a hundred item proposal.
You can’t seriously believe a private company will let you send a letter from Maine to Fairbanks Alaska for $0.50. That for a dollar fifty you can send a letter from Georgia to the United Kingdom.
I used to agree that the PO shouldn’t be privatized, but now that I have seen the incompetence at the PO and see that management only thinks real change in the Pao culture involves nonsense surveys, I say go ahead and dismantle the place. And this is not fake news like the person above us stating. President Trump has actually started a committee to do so. You make Republicans look bad with your ridiculous rhetoric.
Maybe you should start your “seeing” at why the last few admins allowed the Postal Board of Governors to be vacated and left vacant. That truly was leaving the hen house to be run by the foxes. Absolute unaccountability.
Are there any humane means to put the total imbeciles,out of their misery,who continue to actually believe that there are corporate-takers for USPS”privization”;or that-we are going to somehow get”postal banking”?
Yes there are many, unfortunately, who would love to make money the easy way, by just owning a monopoly and charging what the want
oh cum now…….by this time even the village idiot knows that the Clinton Uranium 1 Deal with the Russians (Putin) while Hillary was at State is the real felony! Fake News is now stale Fake News. now Trump is going to take away the Obammy/Clinton crime family’s security clearances….try leaving a Fortune 500 Company and still having access to company secrets…..not in your lifetime.
The Postal employees that support Donald Putin, oh I mean Donald Dump, would really enjoy a privatized Postal Service. How much will you make just working three days a week? And you won’t need any retirement or health insurance either! Remember you are strong enough to fend for yourselves. As long as the tax payers pay to educate , entertain, and transport your children to tax payer funded schools, you will do fine. The school funding should be privatized then you would be forced to take care of your own children. That would fit nicely with a Privatized Postal Service! Everything should be privatized, except anything that would interfere with your convenience.
A totally ignorant, hair-on-fire comment. Turn off CNN. It elevates the levels of your TDS.
“Level Of Service” ? July 7th, 2018 Government Accounting Office (GAO) announces that the US Postal Circus Mismanagers raised the mismanagement staff 25% since 2008, while cutting the union worker (we touch the mail) by 40%……is that the “level of service” this dingbat is talking about. you can tell this Democrat did not even run a hot dog stand!
More fake news from the Left…. Privatize now! I have been hearing these threats of privatization for twenty years. It’s not going to happen. It’s just a way to get you people to hate Republicans. Odumba did nothing for the postal workers, nothing. Go ahead and delete my post, as usual. MAGA!
When is Sen. Mc Caskill going to step up for all the women and LGBT who are dealing with Sexual Misconduct? No accountability in the U.S. Postal Service for Sexual Misconduct. Congress knows and does nothing.
As the group that made up the 130000 pointed out. All were hurt but
they were from all walks of life. The people that are involved with misconduct in my old office were all women . There is no accountablity
with Rural Carriers union in Michigan. My coworkers were all fired or
quit. OPM looked at my medical records involving a stroke, and age
misconduct. I do thank OPM as they were fair. The Post Office didn’t hold
these bad people accountable at all