A US Postal Service worker wears a mask and gloves while delivering mail as the coronavirus pandemic continues on April 9 in California.
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But so far, the USPS hasn't received cash in the stimulus plans aimed at propping up other types of US businesses — prompting some people on Sunday to show support by buying stamps, sharing tributes to mail carriers, and starting discussions about why the mail is such an important part of American life.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the US Postal Service said that it's seen a "devastating" drop in revenue and needs funding from Congress to ensure it can keep delivering letters and packages to the millions of Americans currently sheltering at home.
#USPostalService and #saveUSPS were tweeted thousands of times after the Washington Post reported Saturday that President Trump was personally blocking potential emergency funding. According to the Post, Trump threatened to veto a version of the recently passed stimulus package that included a $13 billion bailout for the US Postal Service and instead extended the agency a $10 billion loan. The USPS has been financially troubled for decades, but a drop in its main funding source — first-class and marketing mail — due to the coronavirus pandemic has only worsened its economic outlook.
"We now estimate that the COVID-19 pandemic will increase the Postal Service’s net operating loss by more than $22 billion dollars over the next eighteen months, and by over $54 billion dollars over the longer term, threatening our ability to operate," postmaster general Megan Brennan said in a statement on Friday.
Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat who has led the push to provide USPS with aid, has also said Trump personally blocked potential funding plans.
"Every single one of us will feel the impact if the #USPostalService disappears, @realDonaldTrump," Connolly tweeted on Sunday. "The American people want to #SaveTheUSPS. Whether we can is up to you."
Some people praised the mail delivery personnel in their lives.
Landis912 on April 13rd, 2020 at 02:32 UTC »
Just realized, mail obviously can't go away, then society will truly breakdown. They'll allow the post office to fail and ups, fedex and the like will rise up to take its place and just like that the postal service has been privatized. All according to plan.
paradox_corp_z on April 13rd, 2020 at 00:48 UTC »
Strange that providing a bail out for corporations is completely fine, but providing a bail out for a public organization is wrong? Can someone please explain that to me?
bryanthebryan on April 12nd, 2020 at 22:44 UTC »
My local mail carrier is awesome. He always delivers with a wave and a smile. It’s strangely Rockwellian in the best way. It sucks to think that evil people want to destroy them, but I hope they fail. If buying stamps will help, I’ll do it.
Edit: and I bough two sheets of the Tyrannosaurus Rex stamps and one sheet of the Save the Vanishing Species stamps with the tiger on it. If anything, I’ll use them to send letters or give them to my child one day. There are some pretty cool designs to be honest and I’m happy to have them.