Postal worker: USPS deserves help from Congress

I am a proud employee of the United States Postal Service. During this coronavirus pandemic, postal workers continue to go to work every day, even in these dangerous times, to serve the people who rely on the U.S. Postal Service, the people’s post office. The USPS receives no tax dollars, running its operations solely on postage revenue. The pandemic’s economic impact has resulted in a massive drop in mail volume and a 50% reduction in revenue. Without urgent funding, the Postal Service will run out of money this summer, ending our ability to deliver for you with lifesaving medications, Social Security checks, packages, vital health information and other important communication (“Trump says he won’t approve $10B loan for Postal Service unless agency raises rates for big shippers like Amazon,” April 25).

Thus far, Congress has provided $3 trillion in combined “stimulus” money including $1 trillion in bailouts for private companies. Yet bipartisan Congressional efforts to provide real financial relief to your public Postal Service were shamefully stopped by the Trump administration and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. I know the public greatly appreciates and supports the USPS. Please contact your congressional representatives and urge them to fight for the relief the Postal Service needs to survive. Postal workers want to continue our mission of binding the country together and providing universal service at reasonable rates to every home and business.

Richard Shelley, Essex