A bipartisan group of lawmakers warned Thursday that the U.S. Postal Service “could cease to function by this summer” if it doesn’t receive immediate help.
“This is a national emergency. The negative effects of this crisis will be borne hardest by those in rural areas — where millions of Americans are currently sheltering in place and relying on the Postal Service to deliver essential supplies,” the leaders of the Postal Preservation Caucus wrote in a letter to congressional leadership.
The authors include Democrats Carolyn Maloney of New York and Gerald Connolly of Virginia and Republicans Pete King of New York and Mark Amodei of Nevada.
The volume of packages and mail being delivered has dropped over 30% during the coronavirus pandemic. The Postal Service is expected to lose $13 billion this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, and $10 billion during the next fiscal year. The Postal Service board of governors has requested $25 billion in emergency funding.
“We strongly support emergency funding for the Postal Service and urge you to do the same,” the lawmakers stated when releasing the letter.
During negotiations over the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, President Trump threatened to veto the bill if it provided aid to the Postal Service. The bill originally included a $13 billion grant to the Postal Service, which was replaced in the legislation with a $10 billion loan that the independent agency will have a hard time repaying, as it is projected to lose $2 billion a month from lost demand due to the pandemic.
