Senator discusses need to strengthen postal service with Postmaster General
7/19/17 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill discussed the status of efforts to strengthen and reform the United States Postal Service (USPS) during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing today with the Postmaster General. McCaskill serves as the Committee’s top-ranking Democrat.
“We’ve got to get postal reform across the finish line,” McCaskill said. She asked Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan for her “assessment of where we stand right now…when it comes to postal reform in terms of putting it on a more sound financial path going forward.” Brennan responded that she is “optimistic,” and agreed with McCaskill that “the need for postal reform is urgent. Our financial condition is worsening.”
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has oversight and legislative authority over USPS.
A longtime advocate for postal service in rural communities, McCaskill waged a successful campaign over several years to save rural post offices and maintain delivery standards. Earlier this year, McCaskill introduced bipartisan legislation with Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas to protect hundreds of post offices around the country from indefinite “emergency closure.” McCaskill has also directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into reported postal service problems. Last January, McCaskill demanded answers from the Postal Service on how it will protect mail delivery for rural Missourians and efficiently manage the cost-sharing benefits with competitors to carry mail the “last mile,” especially in rural areas.
Having a post office in every town is a thing of the past. With the changing of time and the mom and pop stores closing to bigger stores leaving just the post office. So if the people drive to get groceries why can’t they drive to use the post office. A lot of people have turned to delivery of the mail to their homes anyway. In one tiny county in West Virginia there is 7 post offices in a 17 mile area. And this is happening all over the country.
under Bush 2 we got two checks for $300 bucks…..under bath house barry we got nothing in 8 years……..You Go GOP!
Bannon? Steve is this you? Glad you could take time out from ruining this country to inject your racist ignorance into this conversation. FU moron.
H.R, 756 is certainly not the answer. this legislation has very limited and only short term financial benefit to the USPS. The major financial benefit from H.R. 756 comes from a rate increase. One rate cycle and this benefit is gone. The health care provision of H.R. 756 has little or no financial benefit (CBO scores the health care provision as a cost to the government and to the USPS). Plus the health care provision will financially hurt a significant number of retirees who neither want or need Medicare Part B coverage which they would be forced to take and pay for with this legislation.
Senator McCaskill is on point that the USPS must be required to maintain a reasonable level of service to every community and address in the United States. This includes access to a Post Office as well as delivery. This is contrary to postal managements recent direction which has been to cut costs, reduce access, reduce service standards and then fail to meet even the reduced obligations.
Legislation should not be about cost cutting or transferring costs to retirees or to Medicare. It should be to ensure the USPS has clearly defined service requirements, performance measured against these requirements and a rate and funding structure in place that provides adequate funding for sustaining postal operations in the current reality of declining volume. Repealing all aspects of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act should certainly be considered as part of the effort as this law created many of the problems the USPS is dealing with now.
The best answer to the invented, manufactured, artificial, wasteful cost of prefunded health care mess is just end the bad law! Why is it the Postal Service, and only the Postal Service, must prefund health care? To destroy the service. Welcome to Three Stooges land. Where nothing makes sense! Our government is more concerned with wanting every citizen to have a gun, and business screwing everyone.
Let’s hope her efforts also include preventing Donald Trump’s budget plan from taking effect as far as postal reform is concerned. While most have predicted his budget submission is dead in the water, we can’t take that for granted because it will do terrible things to postal workers, and PMG Brennan would be behind it all the way because she hates customers, her workers, and wants to make the USPS a fast food style business. She is totally inept, was the architect behind closing plants and reducing delivery standards, and only got where she is by being “good friends” with former PMG Donohoe, the worst ever in postal history.
Senator McCaskill needs to fight against plans by Trumpty Dumpty and GOP reptiles like Ryan and McConnell and other hard right criminals to eliminate COLA’s for retirees, abolish the annuity supplemental for those who retire before they’re 62 and can draw Social Security, and move ever closer to privatization and wipe out the four unions.
No GOP Congress or a President has been successful in this type of cruel “reform” yet, but given that the Republicans and Trump are the worst and most corrupted politicians in U.S. history, we can’t take anything for granted. I am furious my two Senators and U.S. Representative from Arkansas and the 3rd District are loyal anti-worker and supportive proponents of eliminating Obamacare. They are also anti-union and couldn’t care less about we Federal workers and retirees. Democrats need to be more active than ever to counter terrible excuses for lawmakers like John Boozman, Tom Cotton, one of the looniest U.S. Senators ever, and Steve Womack of the Arkansas 3rd District. If your state has to deal with this type of elected officials, then it’s imperative they be removed. Your job and your family’s futures depend on it.