I spent Saturday in Washington D.C. because of the fear and misinformation the Democrats and media are spreading about the state of the United States Postal Service and its ability to deliver mail.
I am a strong supporter of the Post Office. Earlier this month, I sent a letter with my colleagues in Congress to the U.S. Postmaster General regarding some operational changes being made without proper Congressional oversight. These issues are not what Speaker Pelosi brought us back to deal with, nor are they the basis for the recent conspiracy theories being spread.
The Facts:
- The USPS has $14 billion cash on hand and, since April, has not requested any financial assistance to continue its operations. It also has access to the $10 billion loan provided for in the CARES Act.
- The USPS routinely moves mailboxes that receive little use. More than 14,000 mailboxes were removed under President Obama.
- Earlier this summer, USPS warned states that their mail-in voting cut-offs are too close to Election Day to ensure timely delivery in accordance with USPS delivery standards. This is a state issue, not a Postal Service issue. The good news for Floridians is we have a mail-in-ballot system that has been tested and follows specific timelines, for more about Florida’s process read my recent op-ed: https://bit.ly/FLElex
- The USPS is an independent agency, not controlled by the president. The postmaster general is not appointed by the president, he or she is selected by the bipartisan Postal Service Board of Governors.
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.