August 22, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer voted in support of the Delivering for America Act, legislation he co-sponsored to prohibit the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from implementing or approving any changes to the operations or service levels that would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient service. The bill also includes $25 billion, as requested by the USPS Board of Governors, to address the financial crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic downturn.
“During this pandemic, U.S. Postal Service employees and mail carriers have stepped up and gone beyond their traditional duties to continue serving their communities. They’ve played a critical role on the front lines, ensuring that people around our region continue to receive essential packages and letters – including medication, food, supplies, ballots, and notes from loved ones,” said Rep. Kilmer. “Unfortunately, recent changes by the Postmaster General have undermined these workers – and threatened not only our democracy and the ability to conduct a free and fair election, but the lives and livelihoods of folks in communities across our region who rely on the Postal Service’s ability to do its job. That’s why I’m proud to vote in favor of this critical legislation – which will halt the Postmaster’s operational changes in their tracks – and provide critical funding to ensure we can protect the USPS – and our democracy. The Senate should pass this legislation without delay.”
The Delivering for America Act would prohibit:
- Any change that would generally affect service on a nationwide or substantially nationwide basis;
- Any revision of existing service standards;
- Closing, consolidating or reducing the hours of any post office or postal facility;
- Any prohibition on paying overtime to Postal Service officers or employees;
- Any change that would prevent the Postal Service from meeting its service standards or cause a decline in measurements of performance relative to those standards; and
- Any change that would have the effect of delaying mail or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.
This legislation will also:
- Include $25 billion requested by the Postal Service and supported unanimously and on a bipartisan basis by the Postal Board of Governors;
- Require the Postal Service to treat all official election mail as First-Class mail;
- Prohibit the removal, decommissioning or other stoppage of mail sorting machines, other than for routine maintenance;
- Prohibit the removal of mailboxes; and
- Explicitly reverse any changes already implemented to the operations or policies of the Postal Service that delay mail delivery.