Speaker’s proposal to end Saturday mail as a means of paying for Highway Trust Fund puts jobs at risk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree are calling on Speaker John Boehner to abandon a proposal to temporarily address the impending shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund by eliminating Saturday mail delivery. In a letter to the Speaker, Michaud and Pingree say it is irresponsible to try to address one job crisis by creating another. Speaker Boehner is pushing the measure despite a majority of the House supporting H.Res. 30, which expresses the importance of continuing six-day mail delivery for working families, in particular.
Reps. Michaud and Pingree said of Speaker Boehner’s proposal:
“A reliable, six-day mail delivery schedule is incredibly important to Maine residents, particularly those in rural areas. Businesses, senior citizens, and families all rely on six-day service for the timely delivery of paychecks, Social Security benefits, goods and other essential items. We all support taking immediate action to shore up the Highway Trust Fund, but we have a responsibility for Mainers and for the American people to work together and come up with a solution that doesn’t harm people. Suspending mail delivery on Saturdays is not that solution.”
The full text of Michaud and Pingree’s letter is available below:
The Honorable John Boehner
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
H-232, the Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Boehner:
We write to urge you to abandon your proposal to temporarily shore up the Highway Trust Fund by eliminating most Saturday mail deliveries. Doing so would disproportionately affect rural communities and businesses across the nation that depend on reliable and timely mail delivery. Instead, we urge you to work in a bipartisan manner to find sustainable revenues to provide for the long term health of the trust fund.
Legitimate disagreements exist among Members of Congress as to the future of the Postal Service. Businesses, senior citizens, and families alike rely on six-day service for the timely delivery of paychecks, Social Security benefits, goods, and other essential items. A bipartisan majority of the House has already recognized this fact by cosponsoring H.Res.30, which expresses the importance of continuing six-day mail deliveries to working families.
We also recognize the urgent need to address the Highway Trust Fund shortfall and that without a solution this summer, thousands of infrastructure projects throughout the nation will be stalled. The job losses and economic impacts would be devastating. However, fixing one job crisis with a job-killing partisan proposal is not a viable solution.
The recent passage of WRRDA by an overwhelming bipartisan majority showed that transportation and infrastructure does not have to be a partisan issue. Given the opportunity, Members can come together to solve difficult issues for the American people. We urge you to drop your proposal and work across the aisle to find a viable solution for the Highway Trust Fund shortfall.
Sincerely,
Michael H. Michaud
Chellie Pingree