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THREAD: Which Constitutional thing do you take most for granted? Probably the Post Office. Literally created in the Constitution, the Post Office is a critical part of our American fabric. But now it& #39;s in danger. 1/
Why have we taken the #USPS for granted? Well, it& #39;s usually quick, reliable, and low cost. Literally all of those things are at stake now -- its speed, reliability, and price. Why? And what can you do about it? I& #39;ll get there. 2/
The Post Office was self-sufficient for 200+ years. It paid for itself and had the highest approval of any federal agency. Not bad. This changed in 2006 w/ the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. You might& #39;ve heard about this on @LastWeekTonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoL8g0W9gAQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch... 3/
This law required the Post Office to pre-fund retirement for the next 50 yrs (!) and took away its ability to set prices. Doesn& #39;t make much sense, right? Congress passed this bill as a money grab to bring down the national debt. All it accomplished was financial ruin for #USPS 4/
Every year since this law was passed, the #USPS has gone deeper and deeper into a financial hole. It& #39;s unsustainable. Who has the power to fix this? Congress does. But wait, now let& #39;s add #coronavirus to the equation... 5/
In the early days of #COVID19, Congress created a bipartisan (!) plan that would give $13B to the Post Office. Both sides of the aisle agreed that this was a critical issue. But Trump nixed it. In fact, he said he& #39;d refuse ANY funding for USPS. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/politics/postal-service-trump-coronavirus.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/1... 6/
And then there& #39;s DeJoy. In June, Trump appointed Louis DeJoy to be the Postmaster General. Does your nose tickle? That& #39;s probably the swampiness reeking off him. DeJoy is the first person ever appointed Postmaster General who was not a letter carrier. But wait, there& #39;s more... 7/
Not only is DeJoy a *major* Trump donor and fmr treasurer for the Republican National Convention, but he and his wife "own $30.1 million to $75.3 million in assets in USPS competitors or contractors." @CREWcrew We don& #39;t know if it& #39;s been divested. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-2020-usps-appointment-could-corrupt-key-institution-ahead-ncna1234125">https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opi... 8/
So the new guy in charge of the #PostOffice has potentially millions upon millions in financial conflicts of interests. In fact, DeJoy and his family could benefit greatly from privatizing portions of the public #USPS. 9/
In the past month have you noticed mail taking a lot longer? Bad, spotty delivery service? The #PostOffice not running as smoothly as it usually does? You& #39;re not going crazy- these are DeJoy& #39;s policies already in full swing. 10/
DeJoy got rid of overtime and has actually encouraged postal workers to go *slower.* (An internal memo says workers should now have a "different mindset" about putting speedy delivery first). Fast, efficient mail has been deprioritized. https://apnews.com/59c25efd4d325c4895f8ba85517f9bfd">https://apnews.com/59c25efd4... 11/
Not only is slower mail annoying, it has far-reaching ramifications. You know those absentee ballots from this year& #39;s primary elections? 65,000 were rejected for late arrival despite being mailed timely and properly. https://www.npr.org/2020/07/13/889751095/signed-sealed-undelivered-thousands-of-mail-in-ballots-rejected-for-tardiness">https://www.npr.org/2020/07/1... 12/
Does anyone actually benefit from this mail slowdown? Trump does. Bad, unreliable mail fuels his unsubstantiated vote-by-mail fraud claims. The worse the mail gets, the more people might start to distrust the mail and take Trump& #39;s claims seriously. 13/
This is a problem. Nov 2020 is a presidential election and like it or not, #coronavirus will still make it unsafe for older and vulnerable people to go to the polls in person. We *need* reliable absentee and vote-by-mail options, and the #USPS is a critical partner. 14/
Trump has not hidden his disdain for the #PostOffice. He has no stake in its survival and in fact his top donors would benefit immensely from its privatization, so that is exactly what he is going to do. 15/
As mail service gets worse over the next few months, the public& #39;s frustration and increasing distrust of the at one time most trustworthy federal agency will feed into Trump& #39;s narrative that privatization is the only option. 16/
Who better to herald in #PostOffice privatization than Mr. DeJoy, who stands to gain millions in profit? Under DeJoy& #39;s continued leadership, the #USPS will continue to spiral into an unrecognizable shoddy shell of its former self. 17/
So what can you do to fix this? It& #39;s simple- call your congressperson. Don& #39;t like speaking on the phone? That& #39;s fine- most offices have automatic voicemails set up so you most likely will not speak directly with a person. Now, what do you say... 18/
There are 3 main asks: 1) approve emergency #USPS funding; 2) call for a @OIGUSPS investigation into DeJoy and his conflicts of interest; 3) repeal the pre-funding requirement of the 2006 Postal Accountability Act 19/
Thank you so much for making it to the end of this thread. The #PostOffice NEEDS our help now more than ever. Call your representatives and share with your friends, family, and co-workers. The legitimacy of our American institutions and elections are at stake. 20/20
