(September 12, 2014) A large body of Members of the House of Representatives — 160 strong — today called upon House appropriations leaders to include in the stopgap funding bill a one-year moratorium on the closure of the 82 mail processing facilities that are slated for consolidation by USPS, beginning January 2015. The 82 plants are located in 37 states.
The sizable contingent of House members made their appeal for the moratorium in a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) and others. The letter is here.
Whether the moratorium is included in the House government funding measure remains uncertain. The bill is expected to come to the floor next Wednesday. It generally keeps the government running and avoids a shutdown for the next several months, but also will address other pressing matters, including funding for military efforts in the ISIS conflict.
In underscoring the need for a postal plant closure moratorium, the House letter said:
“The Postal Service has already consolidated 141 mail processing facilities since 2012. As the postal network has been weakened, service has suffered. Since the Postal Service slowed down the processing and delivery of first class mail over two year ago by revising its service standards, it has been more difficult for the American public and small businesses to receive mail in a timely manner. Slowing down mail delivery even further will especially hurt senior citizens on fixed incomes, small businesses, rural areas, and the economy … This one-year moratorium will give Congress the time it needs to enact the comprehensive postal reforms that are necessary for the Postal Service to function effectively in the future.”
The House letter was spearheaded by Rep. Ed Joyce (R-OH) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI). An earlier letter from 51 Senators was sent to Senate appropriations leaders, calling for inclusion of the plant moratorium in the CR.
If you contacted your House Member to ask them to support the moratorium, thank you!
If your House Member signed the letter, please send them an email thanking them for their support.