CONGRESSMAN BRINGS CONSTITUENT’S CONCERNS TO POSTAL SERVICE

In a vote of 257-150, the US House of Representatives recently passed the Delivering for America Act, H.R. 8015, which is legislation it hopes will save the United States Postal Service. Photo courtesy of Congressman Bobby Rush
In a vote of 257-150, the US House of Representatives recently passed the Delivering for America Act, H.R. 8015, which is legislation it hopes will save the United States Postal Service. Photo courtesy of Congressman Bobby Rush

Congressman brings constituent’s concerns to Postal Service

BY TIA CAROL JONES

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation it hopes will save the United States Postal Service. The Delivering for America Act, H.R. 8015, was passed 257-150 in the House on Saturday, Aug. 22, after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the House back to Washington. The legislation would allocate $25 billion to the United States Postal Service.

The passing of the legislation comes weeks after Congressman Bobby Rush sent a letter to the United States Postal Service Inspector General and the Illinois Delegation of Democrats sent a letter to the Postmaster General.

In the letter, sent on Aug. 7, Rush called on the Inspector General to conduct a formal investigation to find out why Rush’s constituents were not receiving what he described as “efficient and reliable” services. He focused specifically on four post offices in his district: Auburn Park, located at 8345 S. Ashland; Ashburn, located at 3639 W. 79th St; Henry McGee, located at 4601 S. Cottage Grove; and James E. Worsham, located at 7715 S. Cottage Grove.

Rush also joined the Illinois Delegation of Democrats, which includes U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and 13 others, in a Aug. 10 letter to urge Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to take immediate action to correct operational changes made, “which have led to significant delays in the delivery of letters and packages to Illinoisans.”

Rush said he wanted to make sure the postmaster general, “responded to the outcry, the protest, to the pains and suffering,” of his constituents who were being affected because they couldn’t get their medicine, checks, bills, and communication from their loved ones due to a breakdown in the postal service. “I wanted the postmaster general to understand how serious this issue was,” Rush said.

Rush said the letter was part of the bigger picture and added the postal service is a service. “The postal service is the one institution that link[s] Americans together as a nation from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea and we cannot tolerate any attacks, any change of definition. It cannot be redefined as a business. It’s a service, a public service,” he said.

The Delivering for America Act, H.R. 8015, was introduced by a Congresswoman from New York. It calls for prompt and reliable postal services during COVID-19. It states, “the United States Postal Service may not implement or approve any change to the operations or the level of service provided by the postal service from those in effect on January 1, 2020, that would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services.” H.R. 8015 also defines COVID-19 as a public health emergency.

DeJoy was summoned to Capitol Hill and appeared in front of the Senate on Friday, Aug. 21, and in front of the House on Monday, Aug. 24.

Rush said while DeJoy said he would suspend his restructuring efforts, the damage has already been done and “the horse is already out the gate.” He said there are things DeJoy needs to do to restore that damage.

“Put the mailboxes back on every single, solitary corner that he ripped them off of [and] for him to reconnect the sorting machines and every other machine that monitors the robust delivery of mail to every citizen that needs them,” Rush said. “Not only give postal workers their missed overtime pay, but there needs to be a hiring deluge for postal workers that we are going to need to have in order to correct the problem that he alone has created.”

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

Sydney Blaylock-The local skater with national experience