Even before the pandemic, Floridians have always known how important the Postal Service is to our communities.
We pay bills and receive letters; we get prescription medications and home essentials sent straight to our door. That’s why it was a no-brainer for the majority of Florida’s congressional delegation to vote “yes” on the Postal Service Reform Act.
The bill reduces the Postal Service’s financial burdens, putting the agency on a path to long-term sustainability without a bailout. Yet one of the legislation’s biggest impacts for everyday Americans is the 6-day delivery mandate for mail and packages, along with an online dashboard to track the Postal Service’s delivery times.
Both Republicans and Democrats from Florida’s delegation added their votes when the U.S. House passed the bill earlier this month with overwhelming bipartisan support. It’s rare that both sides can come together across the aisle to agree on something, but the Postal Service is so vital to all of us that it makes sense there is something for everyone to agree on. Now the bill is up before the U.S. Senate, and Floridians need U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and to, R-Fla., pass this common-sense legislation.
The Postal Service connects Florida’s 961 zip codes with the 160 million addresses across the nation, in every corner of every state. Our neighborhood mail carriers bring mail and packages to our doorsteps six days a week. At the height of the pandemic, the Postal Service provided the convenience and efficiencies we needed, and even two years later, the Postal Service is delivering COVID tests to our mailbox.
The Postal Service is also critical to supporting Florida’s small businesses, getting packages in and out of the state to customers around the country. The pandemic accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, with more customers expecting quick and low-cost (or free) shipping.
Costs are rising every day, delays are getting longer, and shortages are getting worse. Fortunately, small businesses can still depend on the Postal Service for low prices that keep their shipping margins low while quickly delivering to customers. This legislation preserves affordable and reliable package delivery from the Postal Service.
Another reason to pass postal reform? Big savings for taxpayers. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded the Postal Service Reform Act will save the federal government $1.5 billion. Some opponents are raising false objections to how the bill impacts Medicare. The facts are that from their very first day, Postal Service employees pay into the Medicare Trust Fund with 75 percent of employees already enrolled. The legislation adds the remaining 25 percent of employees, only adding 1/12 of 1 percent to the program’s costs.
Meanwhile, other private carriers prioritize profits over people. How many times have you tracked a package from UPS only to see them hand it over to USPS for final delivery? Companies like UPS and FedEx deliver only the routes with the biggest profit margins, leaving many packages with the Postal Service – which delivers to every address – to take care of the last mile. That last mile might not mean big dollar signs for private carriers, but it’s extremely important to the small businesses, seniors, and families who are waiting at the end for the packages they need.
Floridians need Senators Rubio and Scott to get the Postal Service Reform Act across the finish line, so that the Postal Service can keep doing what it’s always done: deliver crucial mail and packages for Americans.
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