NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — On Monday, the Senate is set to vote on federal legislation that would allocate tens of billions in funding over the next 10 years to the struggling U.S. Postal Service, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Sunday.
The Monday evening Senate vote comes after the House approved the legislation which will dedicate roughly $50 billion in funding over a decade to the USPS and set a mandate that future retirees enroll in federal government health insurance.
“There is good news for anyone who needs the mail and likes the mail,” said New York Senator Schumer during a Sunday press conference. “It has everybody’s support, because it’s what’s needed.”
Schumer noted the importance of the USPS, highlighting the fact that 43 percent of voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2020 election and the Social Security Administration sends 350 million notices by mail each year.
The senator also said that lack of funds has been the cause of delayed mail lately and promised the bill would change that.
The addition of the health insurance requirement for retirees is a move expected to save the Postal Service more than $22.6 billion over the course of 10 years as currently only 25 percent of USPS retirees are enrolled in a Medicare program despite being eligible for it, which means more money is spent on high premiums.
The bill also requires the USPS to maintain mail deliveries six days a week and create an online performance tracking system.
The Postal Service has reported significant net losses since 2007, with a $1.5 billion in net losses reported for the fourth quarter of 2021 alone.
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