Rep. Andy Kim wants Congress to make sure the U.S Postal Service keeps running for decades to come.
In recent years, the postal service has been inching closer to running out of money. Over the last 11 years, the postal service has lost a total of $69 billion and has seen it expenses grow faster than its revenues, among other unfavorable trends. In 2019, the Postmaster General told members of Congress that despite efforts to cut costs and create more revenue, the USPS was still expected to run out of money in the next five years.
The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t helped the situation, as mail revenue could see a steep decline of more than 50% this year as a result.
“The work of the Postal Service is fundamental to our country and weakening their operations weakens our nation,” said Kim in a statement. “The Postal Service, and the hundreds of thousands of hard-working people it employs, connect communities and are the number one employer of our veterans.”
The USPS is the largest postal system in the world, moving about 150 billion pieces of mail every year. If the service runs out of money, more than 500,000 postal workers would be jobless and the secondary effects would be felt in nearly every industry. Everything from jury summons to prescription drugs deliveries that utilize the postal service would have to adapt to a new world.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a small business owner looking to ship your products or a senior who needs to safely get your prescription drugs in the mail,” Kim said. “Our communities cannot afford the purposeful inaction of letting the Postal Service fail. Who we prioritize in these tough times is a test of our values, and Congress should prioritize saving the U.S. Postal Service.”
Elle Meyers Elle Meyers is a Congressional Reporter for COURIER where she covers national politics and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Previously Elle was a beat reporter in Montgomery County, Maryland and she is a native of Portland.
