Washington, D.C. –Congressman Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL) and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced today the reintroduction of the Deliver for Democracy Act in the 119th Congress. This bipartisan legislation seeks to improve the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), particularly in the delivery of periodicals and newspapers, ensuring that Americans have timely access to critical news and information.
Congressman Aderholt emphasized the urgency of addressing USPS inefficiencies:
“For far too long, we’ve seen the United States Postal Service struggle to meet the expectations of the American people, particularly in delivering newspapers and periodicals in a timely manner,” said Congressman Aderholt. “As information moves faster than ever in today’s world, it is unacceptable that our postal system is falling behind. This legislation is about holding USPS accountable and ensuring they prioritize timely, reliable delivery. The Postal Service has been a backbone of communication in our country since before the founding of our nation, and we must take action to restore the level of service Americans expect and deserve. I am pleased to partner with Congressman Cleaver on this effort, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to see this bill become law.”
“Local news is the lifeblood of a thriving democracy, ensuring that Americans are well-informed about the current events consuming their communities,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Unfortunately, as Postmaster General DeJoy’s Delivering for America Plan has led to constant delivery delays and unreliable service, I’ve heard from many constituents that have struggled to receive their periodicals on time. I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan Deliver for Democracy Act to address these challenges and ensure our local news is being delivered on time, as expected.”
The Deliver for Democracy Act will accomplish three key objectives:
- require the USPS to either achieve at least a 95% on-time delivery rate for periodicals (as highlighted in their own plan) or an improvement of at least 2 percentage points to use its 2% surcharge authority for that class of mail;
- require USPS to annually report to the Postal Regulatory Commission on its progress, including on-time delivery data for newspapers in its periodical service performance measurement; and
- instruct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on options for alternate USPS pricing schemes to improve the cost margins with periodicals.
The following members of Congress have cosponsored this legislation: Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Donald Davis (D-NC), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Angie Craig (D-MN), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Jim Costa (D-CA), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
President Trump has also recently expressed his frustrations with the performance of the U.S. Postal Service and has proposed making other reforms to improve operations.
The Deliver for Democracy Act is also supported by the National Newspaper Association and the News Media Alliance.
