Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a bipartisan resolution to support the independence and critical public service mission of the United States Postal Service (USPS), 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.
“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.
Senator Collins has been a long-time advocate of the Postal Service, and has fought against proposed changes to the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Hampden since 2012, when she led the successful effort to halt a considered closure of the plant.
In November 2023, she wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, objecting to the Postal Service’s announced proposal to consolidate outgoing operations of Maine’s two USPS processing facilities. Senator Collins also provided comments for a public meeting on the proposal in February 2024. Prior to this, Senator Collins wrote to DeJoy several times, addressing concerns about delivery delays and workforce retention in Maine and across the national postal network. Additionally, she met with the USPS Inspector General in September 2023 to discuss their examination of Postal Service quality in Southern Maine.
In April of 2024, Senator Collins and former-Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) led a bipartisan group in sending a letter to DeJoy opposing the USPS’ recent nationwide consolidation and review announcements. Then, in May, Senators Collins and Gary Peters (D-MI) led a bipartisan letter requesting a full review of the Delivering for America proposal by the Postal Regulatory Commission (USPS’ independent regulator).
Following these efforts, in September 2024, Postmaster DeJoy called Senator Collins to inform her that the USPS had permanently abandoned its proposed changes to the Hampden facility.
The full text of the resolution can be read here.
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