March 24, 2026
For Immediate Release
Postmaster General David Steiner’s testimony before Congress on Tuesday, March 17,
made clear that the United States Postal Service is facing significant and immediate
financial pressures that require congressional action. Just as importantly, his testimony
underscored a fundamental choice before Congress. One path relies on service
reductions that would disproportionately harm rural communities; the other advances
practical, common-sense reforms that address financial challenges without undermining
the Postal Service’s universal service obligation.

The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) strongly opposes any
approach that seeks to resolve USPS’s financial issues through service reductions,
given the outsized impact such measures would have on rural America. Rural delivery is
not optional; it is a core component of the Postal Service’s public service mandate to
provide rural Americans with the same service at the same cost that postal customers in
urban areas receive. Since the establishment of Rural Free Delivery in 1896, this
commitment has connected farm families and small towns to the broader national
economy, expanded access to information and commerce, and reinforced the principle
that every American, regardless of location, is entitled to reliable affordable mail service.

That principle must continue to guide congressional action today. Rural customers rely
on USPS for essential needs, including medications, financial instruments, ballots, legal
documents, e-commerce and official government correspondence. When service is
reduced, rural communities are affected first and most severely. Proposals that diminish
delivery standards, limit access, or shift additional burdens onto rural areas depart from
more than a century of national policy and undermine the universal service obligation at
the heart of the Postal Service.

NRLCA urges Congress to pursue pragmatic reforms that strengthen USPS while
preserving service. Specifically, the Association supports increasing the Postal
Service’s borrowing authority to ensure adequate liquidity in addressing near-term
financial challenges. NRLCA also advocates for a fair reallocation of the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) liability, which has long distorted USPS’s financial position,
and supports broader diversification of CSRS and Federal Employees Retirement
System (FERS) investment strategies to improve long-term returns through prudent,
modern investment practices.
NRLCA looks forward to working with Congress to advance these reforms and to
develop additional solutions that ensure the Postal Service can continue serving future
generations. Long-term financial stability must not come at the expense of the essential
services Americans depend upon. NRLCA urges Congress to reject proposals that
would weaken service and instead collaborate with stakeholders to implement reforms
that preserve USPS’s ability to serve all Americans.
—
Established in 1903, the NRLCA represents approximately 130,000 career and noncareer rural letter carriers operating from more than 10,500 rural and suburban postal
delivery units, serving over 86,000 rural routes.