US Senators submit letter to the USPS requesting cease to any further changes under the Delivering for America plan

May 9, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lynne Lance, executive director, lynne@nna.org

On May 8, 2024, U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Michigan), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) led 22 Senate colleagues in calling on the USPS to halt any further changes to its processing and delivery network — Delivering for America — until a time that said changes can be examined by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and addressed by the Postal Service.

Snippets of the letter are below.

“We call on USPS to pause all changes, pending a full study of this plan by its regulator. While USPS claims these changes overall will improve service while reducing costs, there is evidence to the contrary in locations where USPS has implemented changes so far,” wrote the Senators. “USPS must stop implementation, restore service in those areas where changes were implemented, and fully understand the nationwide effects of its plan on service and communities.

“The Postal Service’s primary responsibility is to provide timely and reliable delivery to every community across the nation. While USPS must continue adapting as an agency to remain stable and serve the public’s current needs, it must proceed with caution and understand the implications of its plans in order to protect mail delivery for all communities.

“In regions where USPS has implemented significant changes, on-time mail delivery has declined. In addition, it is not clear these changes will improve efficiency or costs. Despite these concerns, USPS has moved forward with announcing and approving additional facility changes across the country.”

The National Newspaper Association learned of the letter while in Washington, D.C., meeting with Chairman Peters and encouraging greater regulatory protections and a cap on in-county rates.

"The letter is a useful first step, but all of the Delivering for America plan, including the July increase, should be paused," NNA Chair John Galer, publisher of The Journal-News in Hillsboro, Illinois, said.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Angus King (I-Maine), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Jon Tester (D-Montana), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) joined Peters, Collins, Rosen and Lummis in sending the letter.

The July 2024 proposed Periodicals rate increase amounts to an almost 10% bump for community newspapers that are already paying high rates for subpar service. The rate increase means newspapers are paying about 50% more for postage than three years ago.

The National Newspaper Association represents 1,600 community newspapers across the U.S.