[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 151 (Friday, August 28, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               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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