WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) led 159 members of Congress in a letter to President Trump expressing concern over his proposal to fire the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Board of Governors and merge the Postal Service into the Department of Commerce.
The members write, “Any attempts to privatize the Postal Service would be a betrayal to the more than 640,000 postal employees who work tirelessly every day to ensure mail isdelivered to every corner of the country. It would also hurt American consumers and businesses who rely on the Postal Service daily for mail and package delivery. These changes would be especially devastating for rural Americans, where the potential elimination of the Postal Service’s universal service obligation would result in skyrocketing delivery costs for less populated regions of the country, where reliable service is most needed.”
Congresswoman Budzinski has been a staunch advocate of improved mail service, while opposing efforts toward privatization and proposals that would reduce service reliability and speed for rural communities. Earlier this month, Budzinski testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government about President Trump’s proposal to dissolve the USPS’s bipartisan Board of Governors and place the agency under the Department of Commerce. To watch her testimony, click HERE.
The letter to President Trump is supported by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), American Postal Workers Union (APWU), National Postal Mail Handlers Union(NPMHU), National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS), and the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA).
“The United States Postal Service employs over 640,000 dedicated men and women, including over 50,000 Mail Handlers, and serves over 166 million American households and businesses. People in urban, rural, and suburban areas rely on the work we do to deliver packages and letters ranging from Social Security checks, necessary medications, government correspondence, packages, and mail from loved ones. Members of Congress need to stand up against any threat to this invaluable institution,” said Paul V. Hogrogian, President of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union.
“Attempts to privatize or absorb the independent Postal Service into another executive branch agency is an assault on a universal, accessible, and affordable national postal system. NAPS applauds congressional action to protect rural mail service, and service to postal-reliant communities and business throughout the United States,” said Chuck Mulidore, Executive Vice President of the National Association of Postal Supervisors.
“On behalf of the 130,000 members of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, I want to thank Rep. Budzinski and the other members of Congress who cosigned this letter opposing the executive order, or any executive action, that dismisses the USPS Board of Governors and mergers the United States Postal Service with the Department of Commerce. These potential unilateral and unlawful actions are steps to take over the Postal Service and move towards privatization. The letter accurately states that Congress is the only authority to make legislative changes impacting the Postal Service. The Postal Service has bound this nation together for 250 years, and we must continue to let this American institution continue to serve the American people free from political interference as an independent agency,” said Don Maston, President of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association.
