Rep. Cartwright votes to reform and improve U.S. Postal Service

WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright Tuesday said for too long, the U.S. Postal Service has been plagued by burdensome requirements that lead to delivery delays and reduced services.

“The Postal Service Reform Act is a common-sense, bipartisan solution to ensure the Postal Service remains solvent and able to deliver the high-quality service Americans deserve,” Cartwright said. “People in Northeastern Pennsylvania and all over the country depend on the Postal Service to deliver their medication, paychecks, tax returns and more.”

Cartwright, D-Moosic, voted Tuesday to pass the Postal Service Reform Act to improve the U.S. Postal Service and put it on stronger financial footing.

Additionally, Cartwright continues to hear concerns from constituents of the 8th Congressional District regarding postal service operations. He has been meeting with USPS regional managers on a regular basis to relay those concerns and will continue working with them to fight for improvements to service in the region.

Northeastern Pennsylvanians who are experiencing frequent postal service issues are encouraged to file a complaint at — www.cartwright.house.gov.

According to information provided by Cartwright’s office, the Post Office is currently required by law to pre-fund 75 years of retiree benefits in advance, making it difficult for the institution to remain solvent. Experts project that without reform, the Postal Service will run out of money as soon as 2024. In 2020, the Postal Service incurred its 14th consecutive net annual loss.

The Postal Service Reform Act:

• Integrates all future Postal Service retirees into Medicare, ensuring that these public servants, who have been paying into Medicare their entire careers, get the quality health care they deserve — while saving USPS $22.6 billion over the next decade;

• Frees the USPS from the unnecessary requirement to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance – saving USPS $27 billion over the next decade. Instead, the Postal Service will cover retiree health benefit costs incurred each year.

• Improves USPS reliability with new transparency measures to help ensure consistent, on-time delivery.

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