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Trump and his allies are amplifying their attacks on @USPS, using common misconceptions to justify their baseless and dangerous attacks on this essential service. Let me dispel some of these myths about the most popular government agency in the US: #SaveTheUSPS
MYTH: USPS is funded by taxpayer dollars.
FACT: @USPS receives $0 tax dollars for operating expenses. It relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.
FACT: @USPS receives $0 tax dollars for operating expenses. It relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.
MYTH: Sweetheart deals for Amazon & other businesses are contributing to @USPS’s losses.
FACT: The Post Office makes money off of the delivery of packages. Revenue from packages increased $2.1 billion, or by 11.8 percent, in fiscal year 2017 alone. https://www.vox.com/2018/3/30/17176852/trump-amazon-post-office
FACT: The Post Office makes money off of the delivery of packages. Revenue from packages increased $2.1 billion, or by 11.8 percent, in fiscal year 2017 alone. https://www.vox.com/2018/3/30/17176852/trump-amazon-post-office
Even before the pandemic, technology and a rise in package delivery due to e-commerce had produced operating profits the last few years for USPS. The agency loses money because of fixable, structural issues. We can fix this. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-postal-service-is-operating-at-a-profit/2018/04/26/1300cfa6-48b2-11e8-8082-105a446d19b8_story.html
One issue is the @USPS's idiotic mandate on pre-funding retiree benefits—a requirement imposed on no other gov't agency that costs @USPS nearly $5.5 billion each year, requiring @USPS to prefund 75 years worth of benefits in 10 years, including for THEORETICAL future employees.
My bill to repeal this mandate passed the House by a wide bipartisan margin in February. We can fix these budget issues if the Senate takes up my bill. https://defazio.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/defazio-authored-bill-to-help-us-postal-service-maintain-sustainability
MYTH: A private sector service would be more efficient than @USPS.
FACT: Rural service would not be profitable for the private sector. They'd focus on population centers, leaving rural Americans w/o access to deliveries of Rx drugs, Social Security checks, & more.
FACT: Rural service would not be profitable for the private sector. They'd focus on population centers, leaving rural Americans w/o access to deliveries of Rx drugs, Social Security checks, & more.
USPS's Universal Service Obligation guarantees service to every single American, regardless of zip code. USPS is often responsible for the "last mile" of delivery for private couriers delivering to rural and suburban American https://newrepublic.com/article/152542/biggest-threat-postal-report-rural-americans-not-amazon
We need to push back against these misconceptions and fight to ensure the @USPS has the resources it needs to survive. If the GOP can bail out giant corporations and billionaires, they can help to #SaveTheUSPS.
