U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) called on the Postal Regulatory Commission to reject consideration of the United States Postal Service’s proposal to establish higher postal rates for mail delivered to the non-contiguous United States — Alaska and Hawaii.
In a letter sent Tuesday that was signed by the Alaska and Hawaiian Congressional delegations as well as delegates from each of the U.S. territories, the members of Congress warned that the USPS proposal “to single-out select remote and rural communities for disproportionate price increases is inconsistent with the Postal Service’s Constitutional purpose and with its historical approach of a uniform price structure for customers, no matter where in the nation a resident lives.”
The USPS’ proposal would establish higher Zone 10 rates for certain “full network” products, including Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage, impacting packages destined for Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Territories.
To read the full letter, click here.
“This proposed increase in rates for Alaska and other non-contiguous states and territories is outrageous,” Sen. Sullivan said. “No state, including Alaska, should be punished by our own federal government because of geography. These hikes have the potential to severely negatively impact Alaskans—already reeling from inflation—who are more reliant on the USPS for basic goods and services than other Americans. I will be meeting with the Postmaster General soon to demand answers about the data they’re using to justify this increase, and the potential tax-payer funded monopolistic behavior of the USPS. I, along with my colleagues from impacted states and territories, will also be heavily weighing in with the Postal Regulatory Commission on this proposed rule. We will be insisting that the commission refuse to approve this rate increase, particularly because the USPS has not been transparent with any evidence justifying a change in rates.”
“Postal Service price increases on Alaskans living in remote and rural communities are unfair, harmful, and go against the USPS mission of uniform delivery for all Americans,” said Sen. Murkowski. “The Alaska delegation calls on the Postal Regulatory Commission to decline price increases in Zone 10 and avoid harming Alaskans who already face some of the highest costs of living in the country.”
Where does the Anchorage assembly stand on this. This will obviously drive up the cost of fentanyl .
Bingo
As long as the proposal does not impact the cost of receiving their payment checks from George Soros and the WEF, they will remain silent on the matter. Unless somebody can tie it in with homelessness, of course.
1-We are off the beaten path. It does cost more to get things here. Swampy and Princess forget we’re not DC. The postal service isn’t immune from Bidenomics.
2-Privatize the USPS. See how fast market forces exert themselves.
3-Instead of complaining, offer solutions. A military man should know that. Strike a deal with dept of defense to ferry mail to Anchorage and Fairbanks. They come up here daily.
Masked Avenger, you are onto something! I fully agree with step three, especially. One of your best posts!
You mean Amazon won’t get the shipping deals any longer?
On your topics…
1-Can’t deny that we are far far away.
2-We can’t privatize a public service that is enshrined in the constitution and is an agency within the executive branch of the federal government. This was done to guarantee fair postal service to every US citizen regardless of location. Privatization of a public service will remove the guarantee to every citizen of mail services and the cost will definitely go up and never come down, whether UPS/Fedex etc.. are competition or not as there will be zero restraints and zero oversight/recourse on price increases.
3-The military can and do bring USPS mail to Alaska, the caveat though is they can only bring US Armed services official mail and unofficial mail for members who are assigned here in remote positions. Looking to point 2, you cannot guarantee secured delivery to servicemembers or the services if it is privatized.
Gimme a break! Even the most obtuse of us can see the incredible costs associated with delivering mail to locations in our state. It costs a fortune to get a PERSON from one place to another in this state, let alone packages and correspondence. And don’t get me started on the bypass mail, holy crap, that thing has become a huge number. Then there is the Medicaid travel vouchers people are using to travel to Anchorage to shop under the guise of doctor appointments. The government doesn’t earn any money, it PRINTS it. The more it prints the less the money I earn will buy. Too many people are having their lives subsidized by printed money and all those out here earing their money are watching the value of that money go down the drain. You want to take a step to reduce our mail costs, STOP subsidizing Amazon’s freight costs.
“You want to take a step to reduce our mail costs, STOP subsidizing Amazon’s freight costs.”
X100!
Our “elected” senators should spend their time actually saving Alaska. Higher postage rates is petty compared to not having oil, gas and electricity.
IT’S the pile on eking theory. Population management delivery services. Thus is the political ekeing of means of sustenance population financial draining due process so popular and in use by disguised foreign powers.
Well most of the mail is colored political advertisements.
Make it so expensive so they will quit filling the land fill.
We already pay $300. a year for the smallest Post Office Box. And there is no delivery of mail here, only PO Boxes. And we already pay more to mail packages that the contents in the packages. Since 2 years ago when I was charged $72. to send a medium box to Utah I have changed my gift giving procedure. All of our families live in Arizona, Utah and Washington. I shop online and have the packages sent directly to the homes of the recipients. Of course I also send paper, tape and ribbon to them.
I think maybe they should raise the postage prices to the politicians and Anderson Windows. That should increase the bottom line and decrease the amount of garbage.
Under federal rules, everyone is treated equally, except that, some are more equal than others.
The biggest loser will be renewal by anderson
The US Postal Service will have a $6.5 billion dollar deficit in 2023. They have had deficits for the last 15 years. First class mail volume is the lowest since 1968. What do our members of Congress propose to fix this if not with higher USPS rates?
As fewer people use the US Post Office, rates will be increased because the bureaucracy will have to be maintained. This is very analogous to the K12 government education system. For example, as the Anchorage School District loses students, it demands that the legislature provide more money per student–about $1,600 more per student. This is what government bureaucracies do best.
Let’s not forget that the post office was always meant to be a public service, not a business.
Bypass mail is safe. Villagers will give their approval for the rate hike.
Because the working class will be forced to pay the subsidy directly.
I can see an easy way to cut 16% of the Postal Service costs – stop Saturday delivery. None of the mail I receive NEEDS to be delivered on Saturday – I can wait until Monday.
When my father worked as a temporary mailman back in the 1940s, mail was delivered, to homes, TWICE a day, and once on Sunday!
That’s a really good idea.
My Mom used to say “…don’t just bring your problem/complaint, bring your ideas for a solution.” She ran a very successful
business. She also told staff “…contrary to what you may believe, I do pay you to think.” The latter may not be so “politically correct ” today to say but the point is, if we put our heads together and get them out of our backside, we can find a solution to any problem.
I have one way to help the USPS cut costs, eliminate Saturday delivery. Nothing I receive on Saturday can’t wait until Monday.
Let Amazon deliver its own packages.
The consequences of voting-in Liberals & Democrats. Honestly, Alaskans should’ve voted for and supported Trump, including Daddy’s Little Princess!
Eliminate surveys that would reduce paper costs of post office by 50% and raise productivity of help and customers by dealing with this extra time wasting
Mark has it: double the rate on political “gimme” junk mail, large flyer advertising, and all the super-cheap ‘pre-sorted’ content. This will eliminate about 50% of the mail moving through the system allowing a decrease in employees, benefits costs and infrastructure, and thus be able to operate at current postage levels. For all.
And yeah, Amazon needs to quit overloading the system. Make their rates high enough to encourage them to create their own delivery methods, thereby allowing the above USPS cost-cutting to be effective.
As long as the left is pushing us to mail in voting, the USPS will not be allowed to die.
Until they sell electronic voting. Five g for everyone is the goal. Ah-ha.
The USPS has been operating in the red since 2007.
Hey, Mary Peltola is part of this? Wow, I thought she was on vacation (again).
USPS is important to me. During the recent snow storm, UPS and Fedex were nowhere to be found but USPS delivered every day.
OMG! A frosty letter! Clueless idiots.
🛑 Vote by Mail. Not their express delegated authority to participate in running the voting apparatus to the detriment of quality US Mail Service available during the constant voting cycles. Win win for foreign influencers and enemies of the republic which is nearly everyone in Alaska. Destabilizing the population is very important to the agents of the enemies of the people’s rights.
And this at the suggestion of the Feds. If course, they are targeting Alaska, for sure and now Hawaii. Oh Hawaii has oil too.
If USPS isn’t careful, they just may price themselves out of existence. We do have a few (albeit a few) alternatives.
Maybe they could charge more for transporting interstate voter ballots.
The USPS is supposed to be the great connector between all points of contact with the country. Failure to do so and many parts of the country will break down. Bills are still mailed out as are payments for things. Tier pricing will only exacerbate the problem as most pieces of goods are not made in the same area. And no, it won’t help that bills of lading are more costly to a certain area. Alaska already has vendors who refuse to ship to our state. And the government deciding to subsidize a zone for a period of time is not the answer. Look what happens to states that are bullied into doing that with welfare. Sooner or later the Feds decline and then the state must pick up the slack.
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