Daines Urges U.S. Postal Service to Reverse Policy on Delayed Mail

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General DeJoy urging him to reverse his decision to hold mail for delivery until the next day for pieces that were delayed to ensure Montanans receive their mail, which includes life-saving prescription drugs, on time.

“The USPS is critical to Montanans, especially our seniors, veterans, and rural communities across the Treasure State. Last year alone, the Postal Service delivered 1.9 billion prescriptions to Americans’ mailboxes, and nearly 100 percent of all Veterans Affairs prescriptions,” Daines wrote. “Ensuring that the USPS is on a sustainable fiscal path while maintaining high quality of service to Montana and all Americans is critically important, which is why I am concerned about the impact of the July 10 delayed mail directive and request you rescind that element of the policy.”

To read the full letter, click HERE.

On July 10th, 2020, USPS initiated a policy that would to hold late mail until the next day, resulting in delays in mail delivery.

Background:

Senator Daines strongly supports the missions of the USPS and its vital services to rural Montana for shipping products to market and prescription drug delivery.

On July 2nd, 2020, Daines introduced a bipartisan bill to provide USPS with $25 billion in funding to keep their operations afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic and procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect Postal workers.

Earlier this year, Daines introduced the USPS Fairness Act, which would repeal a burdensome mandate requiring the U.S. Postal Service to pre-fund its employees’ retirement benefits. USPS is the only federal agency that has this requirement and this legislation would put the USPS on stronger financial footing.  

On May 7th, 2020, Daines sent a letter to Senate leadership urging emergency funding, additional borrowing authority, and debt forgiveness to support the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and help it survive the current national pandemic.

###