{"id":37684,"date":"2025-03-29T10:40:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T15:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/?p=37684"},"modified":"2025-03-29T10:40:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T15:40:25","slug":"sullivan-and-peters-introduce-resolution-to-preserve-independent-usps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/2025\/03\/29\/sullivan-and-peters-introduce-resolution-to-preserve-independent-usps\/","title":{"rendered":"Sullivan and Peters Introduce Resolution to Preserve Independent USPS"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON<\/strong>\u20143\/28\/25 – U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to support the independence and critical public service mission of the United States Postal Service, emphasizing the essential role the Postal Service has played in connecting and serving Americans, especially in rural communities. Sens. Sullivan and Peters were joined in introducing the resolution by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a state as vast as ours, with many remote communities only accessible by air or water, the USPS serves as an essential government agency that keeps postal services affordable for Alaskans,\u201d\u00a0Senator Sullivan said.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThe Bypass Mail program\u2014a lifeline for Rural Alaska that I have fought for since becoming a senator\u2014allows the USPS to fulfill its universal service obligation to deliver goods and services to even the most remote parts of our state. I will forcefully oppose any action that threatens that program. I am glad to work with my colleagues from other rural states on this resolution to oppose the privatization of the Postal Service and ensure that this critical agency remains focused on its statutory requirement to reliably deliver mail to every household, no matter how remote.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFederal statute has long recognized that the Postal Service\u2019s core purpose is \u2018to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.\u2019 In Alaska, where most communities are unconnected by road and where internet connectivity\u2014when available\u2014is often unreliable or prohibitively expensive, we rely on the USPS to deliver vital basic necessities, whether that is food, medicine, election ballots, spare parts, store inventory, or subsistence supplies,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Murkowski.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI am proud to co-sponsor this resolution again to reaffirm the significance of the United States Postal Service as an independent establishment of the Federal Government and to reject its privatization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor more than 250 years, the Postal Service has been a cornerstone of our nation, connecting every household and business across the country,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Peters.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cAny efforts to undermine the Postal Service\u2019s independence or privatize it would jeopardize affordable, universal mail service and harm the millions of Americans\u2014especially veterans, small business owners, and rural communities\u2014who rely on the Postal Service every day. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to keeping the Postal Service independent and self-sustaining, ensuring it continues to serve as a vital lifeline for all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe privatization of the United States Postal Service would be devastating to Alaskans not only in remote communities, but throughout the state. The Postal Service currently serves all Alaskans, regardless of where they live. It serves many areas of the state that are not profitable for other shippers.\u00a0If the Postal Service is privatized, it will significantly increase shipping costs throughout the state and be devastating to Alaska\u2019s economy. All Alaska letter carriers of the National Association of Letter Carriers stands by Senator Sullivan in his efforts to keep the Postal Service a public service to all Alaskans,\u201d\u00a0said Chris Crutchfield<\/strong>, Alaska State Chair for the National Association of Letter Carriers.<\/p>\n

The full text of the resolution can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BACKGROUND<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 1775, the United States Postal Service and its dedicated postal workforce have performed the essential government function of \u201cproviding postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people\u201d and \u201crendering postal services to all communities\u201d (39 USC 101). Across the nation today, 630,000 postal employees deliver the mail to more than 168 million residential and business customers, six days a week. The Postal Service is consistently the highest-rated government agency in nonpartisan opinion polls. It also plays a crucial role in our national security, protecting us from mail-borne threats.<\/p>\n

In support of the Postal Service, this bipartisan resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure the Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization. The resolution also recognizes:<\/p>\n