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John, By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the news: Donald Trump is escalating his attacks on the US Postal Service — from withholding necessary funding and laying off employees, to removing mail sorters from post office locations and ordering workers to slow down the mail. Reading these headlines not only angered me at this deliberate attempt to interfere with our elections — it saddened me, for the USPS holds a special place in my heart. One of my first jobs as a student at Clark University was working in an Atlanta post office. My stepfather was a career postal worker — he worked his way up the ranks, dutifully and diligently getting mail out for over 40 years. He’d be rolling in his grave if he heard the way our President disparaged the agency and its workforce. Donald Trump has decided to put his own personal welfare over the basic needs of millions of Americans — going so far as to reject a COVID relief stimulus package because it included funding for the USPS. People rely on the USPS to get medication, Social Security checks, and during the pandemic, even to simply communicate with loved ones. But in a politically motivated effort to stunt voter turnout, Trump is sacrificing the Postal Service to secure his reelection. I can’t help but sympathize with the dispirited workers who have been working especially hard these past few months to deliver such a high volume of mail to people in need. Trump’s orders to slow down mail down and not process ballots goes against the very ethos of the Postal Service. We will need to rely on the USPS this November if we want any hope of holding a free and fair election, and that’s why it is critical we speak out against these attacks. Congress must do its job to fund and protect this agency. Will you join me in demanding that they save the USPS?
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” — a testament to America’s postal workers; honorable and dedicated citizens like my stepfather; the men and women who will help us facilitate an election amidst this generation’s worst public health crisis. We must stand with them amidst these attacks. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s commitment to defer changes to the postal service until after the election is not enough — that’s why the House returned to Washington to pass The Delivering For America Act, which forces the Postmaster to restore postal operations to where they were on January 1, 2020. Donald Trump has made his malice toward the post office clear, and we can’t let up the fight. Sign our petition to protect the USPS now. Thank you, — Hank |
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