Donald Trump is trying to kill the US Postal Service. We need your help to stop him.
The post office has been a cornerstone of our democracy for over two centuries. It's literally written into the Constitution that government must operate it. But right now it's in danger of total collapse.
Trump just said people should pay more for sending packages -- and if that doesn't happen, he won't save the postal service.1 If the post office fails, it will hurt millions of Americans who depend on it. And it will undermine the November election by making vote by mail that much more difficult. We need your help -- right now.
Sign the petition: Tell Congress to save the postal service and our democracy!
The post office delivers mail everywhere in America, including rural areas and low income areas that many private companies would rather not serve. Right now, as Americans stay home to stop the spread of coronavirus, they're depending on the postal service more than ever before.
But the post office is in serious financial trouble. Not because of anything the postal service did. Instead, the problem dates back to President George W. Bush.
In 2006 Bush and the Republican Congress passed a bill requiring the US Postal Service to spend the next ten years prepaying the pension and health costs for people who retire over the next 75 years. That's a practice that hardly any company or public agency has to do. 88% of the Postal Service's losses since then are due to this Bush-era law.2
The House already voted to repeal this provision. And Democrats wanted to include a post office bailout in the March stimulus bill. But Trump and his Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin refused, putting communities and even our election at risk.3 We need Congress to insist that the next stimulus include a bailout of the postal service.
There's huge energy right now across the country to save the postal service. But if we're going to do it, we need to tell Congress. Your petition signatures are immediately delivered to Congressional offices, so one of the best ways to make your voice heard and have a real impact is to click the link below. We're running out of time.
Add your name: Tell Congress to save the postal service and our democracy!
Sources:
1. Washington Post, "Trump says he will block coronavirus aid for U.S. Postal Service if it doesn't hike prices immediately," April 24, 2020.
2. The Week, "How George Bush broke the Post Office," April 16, 2018.
3. Washington Post, "White House rejects bailout for U.S. Postal Service battered by coronavirus," April 11, 2020.