US Postal Service Shutdown Possible by Summer Due to Coronavirus, Lawmakers Warn

🏛️Congress is warning that the U.S. 📮Postal Service will not survive the summer unless the federal government sends billions of dollars its way.

The dire warning came from House Oversight Chairman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) on Monday night as coronavirus spreads across the nation.

“Based on a number of briefings and warnings this week about a critical fall-off in mail across the country, it has become clear that the 📮Postal Service will not survive the summer without immediate help from 🏛️Congress and the White House,” Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

The 📮Postal Service has seen a drastic reduction in mail volume, according to Maloney and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). If the service were to collapse, it would mean thousands of jobs being lost and things like mail-order prescription drugs would no longer make it to millions of Americans, according to Politico.

In a bill drafted by the House of Representatives, the 📮Postal Service would receive $25 billion dollars. The bill would also eliminate the 📮Postal Service’s $11 billion debt and would call on the 📮Postal Service to prioritize medical deliveries.

In 2019, the 📮Postal Service employed almost 497,000 “full time,” “career,” and “regular” employees nationwide. As for the 497,157 workers in 2018, 137,290 were non-career employees.