WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) led a group of their colleagues to introduce a bipartisan resolution to support the independence and critical public service mission of the United States Postal Service, emphasizing the essential role the Postal Service has played since its founding in 1775, by binding the nation together and connecting Americans in every community through its services. Peters and Sullivan were joined in introducing the resolution by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
“For more than 250 years, the Postal Service has been a cornerstone of our nation, connecting every household and business across the country,” said Senator Peters. “Any efforts to undermine the Postal Service’s independence or privatize it would jeopardize affordable, universal mail service and harm the millions of Americans—especially veterans, small business owners, and rural communities—who rely on the Postal Service every day. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to keeping the Postal Service independent and self-sustaining, ensuring it continues to serve as a vital lifeline for all Americans.”
“In a state as vast as Alaska, with many remote communities only accessible by air or water, the USPS serves as an essential government agency, that keeps postal services affordable for Alaskans,” said Senator Sullivan. “The Bypass Mail program—a lifeline for Rural Alaska that I have fought for since becoming a senator—allows the USPS to fulfill its universal service obligation to deliver goods and services to even the most remote parts of our state. I will forcefully oppose any action that threatens that program. I am glad to work with my colleagues from other rural states on this resolution to oppose the privatization of the USPS and ensure that this critical agency remains focused on its statutory requirement to reliably deliver mail to every household, no matter how remote.”
“Federal statute has long recognized that the Postal Service’s core purpose is ‘to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.’ In Alaska, where most communities are unconnected by road and where internet connectivity—when available—is often unreliable or prohibitively expensive, we rely on the USPS to deliver vital basic necessities, whether that is the fuel bill, election ballots, medicine, spare parts, store inventory, subsistence supplies, or food,” said Senator Murkowski. “I am proud to co-sponsor this resolution again to reaffirm the significance of the United States Postal Service as an independent establishment of the Federal Government and to reject its privatization.”
“The U.S. Postal Service plays a vital role in the daily lives of millions of Americans, especially in rural states like Maine, where the timely delivery of essentials like prescription medications is critical,” said Senator Collins. “Privatizing the Postal Service would jeopardize its core mission while driving up costs and reducing service. I have long supported efforts to strengthen the Postal Service, and I will continue working to ensure that it remains accessible in American communities for years to come.”
The resolution notes that the Postal Service delivers mail to more than 168 million residential and business addresses six days a week and is one of the most trusted government agencies. The Postal Service is a self-sustaining entity that is not funded by taxpayer dollars and relies on revenues derived from its products and services. The resolution also highlights the Postal Service’s critical role in the $1.9 trillion mailing industry, which employs 7.9 million Americans. The Postal Service provides affordable and universal service to rural, suburban, and urban communities alike, and employs more than 73,000 military veterans. Finally, the resolution underscores that Congress should ensure the Postal Service remains an independent establishment and not subject to privatization.
In 2022, Peters authored and led passage of a historic, bipartisan law, which was also cosponsored by Sullivan, Collins, Murkowski, Hassan and Tillis, to set the Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The law made the first major reforms to the Postal Service in more than 15 years, including requiring six-day delivery.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
###