2021 Holiday Stamps
40% of first-class mail will be impacted by price hikes and slowdown deliveries this holiday season; could impact the 1 in 4 adults who receive their prescriptions through the mail
November 18, 2021 - WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding he reverse the service delays and price hikes he recently implemented at the United States Postal Service (USPS). Last month, the USPS raised prices on domestic parcels by up to $5 while slowing first-class mail from a three day delivery window to a five day delivery window. The USPS, as it stands, plans to keep these price hikes and delays in place until after Christmas. Almost 40% of the US’s first-class mail volume will be impacted by this decision
This comes after a Senate report last year found that the USPS’ average delivery time for prescription drugs has increased up to 32% since Postmaster General DeJoy took over the agency. More than one in four adults who take prescription drugs currently receive their medications through the mail, including thousands of adults and seniors across the Central Valley.
“Prices are rising across the board in the Valley right now and every dollar counts. Postmaster General DeJoy couldn’t have picked a worse time to arbitrarily make it more expensive and delayed to get your medications delivered or to ship a Christmas gift out to your grandkids,” said Rep. Harder. “I’m calling on the USPS – today – to reverse their inexplicable decision and keep our mail affordable and timely. Our seniors, our businesses, and our families are counting on it.”
Read the letter below and online here:
Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,
I write today to strongly urge a reversal to the service delays and price hikes implemented at the United States Postal Service (USPS).
USPS deliveries in my district have become slower, less reliable, and more expensive. This isn’t the fault of the mail carriers or postal employees. It’s the fault of the policy changes that have been implemented. More than ever, we need the USPS firing on all cylinders and working to solve our supply chain challenges. That is why the agency’s progress has been disappointing. In fact, the independent Postal Regulatory Commission found that some of these policy changes would disproportionately and negatively impact our seniors, middle- and low-income Americans, and small businesses.
A well run postal service is critical for Valley residents–from seniors relying on mailed prescription medications to our small businesses getting their products to customers. These delays have plagued the USPS and carry real consequences. When paperwork gets lost in the mail, it can mean a missed opportunity; when small businesses have to change their delivery times, it can mean a hit to their finances; and when medication gets lost in the mail, it can mean a medical emergency.
As we approach the holiday season and peak demand for USPS services, I urge you to reverse course and return to the service standards that made the USPS one of the most trusted government institutions.
I look forward to your attention to this urgent matter.
Source: Congressman Josh Harder
