Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Committee
Members Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Heidi Heitkamp
(D-N.D.) hosted a roundtable to examine, analyze, and discuss the various challenges
facing the Postal Service in rural communities across the country.
Members
heard from representatives from the National Rural Letter Carriers’
Association, National Association of Postmasters of the United States, Postal
Regulatory Commission, and the National Newspaper Association.
Sen. Carper: “Our
Constitution requires that the Postal Service deliver mail to the last mile.
This means that no matter how rural or remote the address, Americans will get
their mail. However, as the Postal Service has made changes to service to
address its financial condition, service to rural communities in particular has
suffered. While delivery to our most rural communities certainly presents
unique challenges, it also presents an important competitive advantage and
opportunity that can help the Postal Service thrive. I hope today’s discussion
provided members a chance to better understand rural postal issues and help
begin the process of addressing these challenges in the context of
comprehensive postal reform this Congress. We must help the Postal Service move
in a more thoughtful direction, better leverage its 200-year old distribution
network, and understand new ways we can help it maintain service without
putting rural communities at a disadvantage.”
Sen. McCaskill: “Rural
post offices are part of the identity of rural America. The obligation for the
Postal Service to provide universal service to the American people doesn’t just
apply to Americans in big cities and urban centers—it applies everywhere.”
Sen.
Tester: “By reducing services, making product deliveries less
timely, and increasing the burdens on customers, it’s difficult to see a good
path forward for the Postal Service. But Congress can ensure that the Postal
Service becomes financially solvent by making a few basic policy changes so the
USPS can remain an important part of rural communities into the future.”
Sen.
Heitkamp: “In North Dakota and other rural areas across the country,
farmers and hardworking families may live 20, 30, or even 40 miles from the
nearest town. But where they live shouldn’t prohibit them from getting their
mail in a timely manner. Getting our mail in a timely manner enables small
businesses to ship their products, helps families and seniors get needed
prescriptions, and allows individuals to access services beyond their
communities. And these needs are amplified in rural communities that are
disproportionately impacted by poor mail delivery. To make sure rural America
doesn’t get left behind, we need to pass comprehensive legislation that makes
needed reforms to the Postal Service and truly works for rural communities in
North Dakota and across the country.”
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