Congress is warning that the U.S. Postal Service will not survive the summer unless the federal government sends billions of dollars its way.
The dire warning came from House Oversight Chairman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) on Monday night as coronavirus spreads across the nation.
“Based on a number of briefings and warnings this week about a critical fall-off in mail across the country, it has become clear that the Postal Service will not survive the summer without immediate help from Congress and the White House,” Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
In addition to offering a lifeline for communication, particularly in rural communities, the Postal Service is an integral part of how we deliver prescription medication to those who need it, and needed for vote-by-mail efforts.
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@CarolynBMaloney) March 24, 2020
We cannot let it fail.https://t.co/nni34QKZtg
The Postal Service has seen a drastic reduction in mail volume, according to Maloney and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). If the service were to collapse, it would mean thousands of jobs being lost and things like mail-order prescription drugs would no longer make it to millions of Americans, according to Politico.
In a bill drafted by the House of Representatives, the Postal Service would receive $25 billion dollars. The bill would also eliminate the Postal Service’s $11 billion debt and would call on the Postal Service to prioritize medical deliveries.
In 2019, the Postal Service employed almost 497,000 “full time,” “career,” and “regular” employees nationwide. As for the 497,157 workers in 2018, 137,290 were non-career employees.