{"id":38899,"date":"2026-01-17T11:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T16:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/?p=38899"},"modified":"2026-01-17T11:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T16:43:18","slug":"senators-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-keep-postal-operations-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/2026\/01\/17\/senators-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-keep-postal-operations-local\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Keep Postal Operations Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C. \u2013<\/strong> 1\/16\/26 – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation to bolster protections for rural mail services across the country. For example, the Protect Postal Performance Act<\/em>\u00a0would put safeguards in place to keep the United States Postal Service (USPS) from moving mail processing operations from Reno to Sacramento without public oversight.<\/p>\n

In April of 2024, USPS\u00a0said it would<\/a>\u00a0relocate mail operations from Reno, Nevada to Sacramento, California. This misguided decision would have negatively impacted mail reliability \u2013 delaying the delivery of everything from prescription medications to ballots. USPS initially proceeded without providing information on the study that served as the basis for its decision or providing any analysis on local impacts of moving mail processing completely out of the State of Nevada. Senators Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)\u00a0successfully pushed<\/a>\u00a0USPS to publicly commit to abandoning this plan, especially after it became clear that USPS did not\u00a0understand<\/a>\u00a0the impact this move would have on Reno residents.\u00a0This bill would prevent USPS from moving Reno\u2019s mail processing operations \u2013 or the mail processing operations of any other small or rural community \u2013 without substantial community engagement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople rely on the postal service not just for birthday cards and thank you notes, but for the delivery of their lifesaving medications and time-sensitive bills and ballots,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Cortez Masto.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cDownsizing mailprocessing without thinking about the consequences can create unacceptable delays.Whether it\u2019s Reno or any other community, people deserve to be involved in decisions about the future of their mail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsolidating mail processing facilities slows down\u00a0the delivery of life-saving prescriptions and other important mailed items\u00a0for hardworking Tennesseans in rural communities,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Blackburn.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThe Protect Postal Performance Act would put safeguards in place to ensure reliable service for our families, farmers, veterans, and small businesses who depend on the mail every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, the\u00a0Protect Postal Performance Act\u00a0<\/em>would:<\/strong><\/p>\n