To Support Critical Postal Reform Bill, USPS SERVES US Act (H.R. 9839), New Video Comically Illustrates Common, Real-Life Scenarios in which USPS is Failing Americans Under DeJoy’s Mismanagement
“Americans are frustrated with the U.S. Postal Service because it’s essential to our daily lives and the only courier able to deliver for all Americans, yet it has become prohibitively expensive and unreliable for businesses and consumers alike,” said Keep US Posted Executive Director and former Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.). “Our hope in launching this video is not to troll Louis DeJoy, but to make USPS consumers feel heard and to tell everyone that there’s a solution — and that’s the USPS SERVES US Act. We want to prevent the taxpayer bailout that USPS will need if it keeps going down the same path toward complete financial ruin, as was indicated during today’s release of the USPS 2024 financial results.”
Yoder continued, “During today’s open session, the USPS Board of Governors announced the staggering $9.5 billion loss for the year, which is more than $3 billion above projections. The losses driven by mail volume declines of more than 3 percent, negating a meager 3 percent increase in package volumes. The USPS keeps absorbing staggering losses, despite the 2022 Postal Service Reform Act, which would have financially stabilized it. But Louis DeJoy ignored the intent of the landmark bipartisan reform bill so that he could pursue the Delivering for America plan’s disastrous postage increases and misbegotten focus on packages over traditional mail, which is still the largest revenue-generator for USPS. The bottom line is that these consistent financial losses are driven by stamp hikes which lead to disastrous mail volume losses, plus the complete failure of USPS to capture parcel market share in already crowded package delivery space. As of today, USPS is also proposing to eliminate any cap on stamp prices, while increasing its borrowing limit to place more risk on the backs of taxpayers. Congress simply cannot allow USPS to go on like this.”
The new Keep US Posted video highlights the downfall of recent USPS decision-making as it comically follows a character called “Mr. Mismanagement” through several scenarios in which the mail is late, undelivered and too expensive. Mr. Mismanagement visits an American whose tax return was late and faces a steep penalty from the IRS, a business owner having difficulty with direct mail, a bride whose wedding invitations were not delivered, and more. The video helps illustrate the need for meaningful Congressional reform — the USPS SERVES US Act — to address these all-too-common issues with the mail. To watch the video, visit https://youtu.be/M2M-DzqCcJY.
The USPS SERVES US Act (H.R. 9839) is an alternative to a taxpayer bailout of USPS. It contains the following key reforms:
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Holds the USPS accountable for improving efficiency by imposing an X-factor reducing rate authority if productivity is not improved each year.
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Prohibits the PRC from creating a rate system with no price cap.
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Holds the USPS accountable for service performance by reducing rate authority if it fails to meet established service targets.
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Makes the PRC’s nature of service evaluations binding decisions, not just advisory opinions.
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Limits rate increase to once per year.
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Limits the imposition of “underwater surcharges” if service performance and cost efficiency are not maintained for the relevant products.
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Requires the PRC to apply each objective for rate setting in every proceeding.
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Creates a new volume-encouraging objective for evaluating rate increases.
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Establishes an autonomous Office of Customer Advocate within the PRC to represent monopoly customer concerns with the power to initiate proceedings on their behalf.
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Streamlines the PRC’s consideration of complaints.
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Empowers the PRC to reduce rates for affected parties if it finds a rate is unlawful.
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Requires the PRC to develop its own volume estimation model independent of the USPS.
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Requires arbitrators in USPS-Union contract disputes to consider the financial health of the USPS.
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Enables the USPS to invest retirement assets in private index funds such as those used by the Thrift Savings Fund.
About Keep US Posted
Keep US Posted is a nonprofit advocacy group of consumers, nonprofits, newspapers, greeting card publishers, magazines, catalogs, forestry and recycling interests, and small businesses — all united in the belief that a reliable, affordable U.S. Postal Service is essential to our way of life and should be protected. Keep US Posted supports alternatives to current and future efforts to slow the mail and increase postage rates. To learn more about the organization and to get involved, visit www.KeepUSPosted.org.
