Brown Votes to Pass Postal Reform Bill

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 8, 2022 – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the below statement following his vote to reform the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) with bipartisan legislation that will guarantee continued six-day delivery and make deliveries more timely and efficient.

While Congressional oversight efforts and public pressure have helped address damaging delays and improve on-time mail delivery, many Ohioans continue to face unacceptable problems in postal delivery performance.

“This postal reform is welcome news to Ohioans, and will mean fewer delays and more timely delivery,” said Brown. “My office has received thousands of calls, emails and letters from Ohioans concerned about getting their paychecks, packages, prescriptions, and more. This bipartisan reform will improve USPS service for Ohioans and make it more efficient, while saving taxpayers money.”

This reform legislation will:

  • Require USPS to develop and maintain a publicly available dashboard to track service performance.
  • Guarantee six-days-a-week delivery, and make deliveries more efficient and timely.
  • Save the Post Office more than $50 billion and require USPS to report regularly on its operations and financial condition.
  • Require the Postal Regulatory Commission to annually submit to the USPS a budget of its expenses.

Brown has led efforts to improve USPS. Last year, Brown and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), led 33 of their colleagues in pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on persistent mail delays and what action he is taking to restore on-time mail delivery. While Congressional oversight efforts and public pressure helped address these damaging delays and improve on-time mail delivery, many Americans continue to face unacceptable problems in postal delivery performance.

Last year Brown also joined 33 of his Senate Colleagues in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy calling on him to immediately reverse all operational and organizational changes that resulted in delays of critical medications to Americans. These delays have caused seniors and veterans to miss their prescription medications, small businesses to lose money and customers over delayed packages, and other serious disruptions that affect communities in Ohio and across the country who count on the USPS for timely delivery. Brown also joined his colleagues in raising concerns over the heightened impact these harmful USPS policy and operational changes would have on deployed service members and their families in particular.