Bernie Sanders to Deliver a Commonsense Plan to Save the Postal Service

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In a letter shared with The Nation ahead of its release, Sanders warned Mnuchin, who is chairing the task force, that “it would be a disaster if the President or members of his Administration believe the ultimate solution is to privatize the Postal Service.”

“If the goal of the Postal Service is to make as much money as possible,” Sanders told The Nation, “tens of millions of people, particularly low-income people and people in rural areas, will see a decline in or doing away with basic mail services.”

First among the Vermont senator’s proposals is an end to the USPS’s burdensome pre-funding mandate, which requires it to pre-pay decades of retiree health benefits. This unique requirement, which costs the USPS billions every year, was imposed by Congress in 2006, when mail volumes were historically high, but after the recession it became impossible to make the payments.

But Sanders’s letter also looks toward the future, exhorting Mnuchin to endorse measures that would help the USPS adapt to the digital age. Since 2006 the agency has been barred from offering new products and services: At present, it cannot notarize documents, wrap presents, or ship alcoholic beverages. Sanders argues that Congress should allow the agency to do all these things and more, even suggesting it could expand into digital services and “offer a non-commercial version of Gmail.”

https://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-commonsense-plan-save-postal-service/