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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
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speech of
HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD
of california
in the house of representatives
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 8015, the
Delivering for America Act. This legislation is an important first step
to ensure our Postal Service is not undermined by the reckless and
political actions undertaken by President Trump's hand-picked
postmaster general.
The United States Postal Service is enshrined in our Constitution and
is a critical thread of the fabric of American life.
Our postal workers and letter carriers work six days a week and often
long hours to support business and provide Americans with essential
services that keep us connected to our family, friends, and the world
at large.
We celebrate our heritage and accomplishments through designs on
postage stamps. Young men enroll in our Selective Service at the post
office. When we drop a birthday card, a bill, or a mail-in ballot into
the mailbox, we know it will be delivered on time. And for many
Americans, the USPS is a vital lifeline.
For example, millions of seniors depend on the USPS for their Social
Security check, for the delivery of their essential medications, for
their ability to vote, and to stay connected to their family and the
world.
For many seniors, a Social Security check is their only source of
income. It pays for their food, their rent, and other essential needs,
including paying for their life-saving medications.
Twenty percent of Americans over forty with a chronic disease receive
their medications through mail order, and over half are over the age of
sixty-five. Fifty-four percent of this group take more than four types
of medications. For these Americans, including millions of veterans,
the collapse of our USPS would be literally a matter of life or death.
Currently, with our nation and the world in the midst of a deadly
pandemic, without the postal service, it would be impossible to live
our lives as we would normally. We must have safe and secure ways to
continue to participate in community life, which includes the ability
to exercise our most fundamental right as American citizens: the right
to vote.
More than ever, with the approaching national election, it is
critical for Americans to be able to trust their mail-in ballots will
be safely delivered in time to be counted.
It is unconscionable that instead of expanding and securing our mail-
in voting, President Trump's postmaster general is deliberately trying
to undermine and destroy trust in our postal service.
Mr. Speaker, I share the concern and outrage expressed by my
constituents about delays in their mail, reduced accessibility to
postal services, and efforts to weaken or destroy the USPS.
H.R. 8015 will prevent the president, and his postmaster general,
from weakening or destroying our U.S. Postal Service and the essential
services it provides to the American people.
I am proud to vote for the Delivering for America Act to protect the
millions of Americans whose very lives depend upon the Postal Service,
and to stop the president's insidious plan to sabotage it.
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