Keep US Posted Applauds Legislation Requiring Scrutiny of USPS Postage Hikes
Keep US Posted, an alliance consisting of consumer interests, industry groups, newspapers, nonprofits and businesses, applauds Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-VA) for taking action to address unprecedented postage hikes, like those than occurred in January and July of this year and planned for every six months moving forward. The Ensuring Accurate Postal Rates Act, whose original cosponsors include Reps. Jake La Turner (R-KS) and Sam Graves (R-MO), requires the Postal Regulatory Commission, which governs the U.S. Postal Service, to review the authority given to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in 2020 allowing him to continue raising postage at a historically high clip.
The Ensuring Accurate Postal Rates Act requires the Postal Regulatory Commission to consider and potentially reduce the increased postage rate cap in light of the Postal Service Reform Act, which became law in April 2022 with the intent to fiscally stabilize the Postal Service and keep postage affordable. Notably, the Postal Service Reform Act integrated future retirees into Medicare, immediately generating nearly $50 billion for USPS and improving its future fiscal stability by saving it an estimated $100 billion.
“On the very same day that President Biden signed bipartisan postal reform legislation intended to keep postage affordable, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced plans to increase rates and now suggests they could go up every six months,” said former Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), executive director of Keep US Posted. “Congressman Connolly’s legislation holds USPS accountable to Congress, which has already delivered the resources necessary to avoid these postage increases — and also holds it accountable to the American public, which deserves an affordable, reliable Postal Service.”
Yoder continued, “If DeJoy’s frequent postage hikes are allowed to take place, Americans could soon be paying well over $1 to mail a single letter, and mail-dependent industries will suffer. The January rate increases will not only raise postage for an unprecedented second time in one year, but will impact industries that depend on the mail to serve the public, such as newspapers, which faced a 9 percent postage increase, and nonprofits, whose mail costs increased more than 6 percent. We can’t let the Postal Service sabotage itself by driving industries out of business and driving consumers away from using the mail. It’s a relief to see Congress step in to ensure that mail service remains accessible to all.”
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