LETTER: The U.S. Postal Service hamstrung by Congress
Perhaps before people criticize the U.S. Postal Service’s need for extra funding during this pandemic amid cutbacks, they should read the section called “Concerns beyond election” in your recent article, “Las Vegas postal workers feel effects of removed sorting machines.” As these paragraphs discuss, a 2006 congressional mandate requires the Postal Service to prefund 75 years’ worth of future retiree health benefits in 10 years. No other agencies are burdened with this requirement, and postal unions have attributed 100 percent of the mail service’s net losses since 2013 to this requirement.
If our leaders want the post office to be run more like a business, perhaps this burdensome requirement should be reconsidered.