Adams Leads 83 House Members in Calling for the Strongest Possible Relief for USPS
May 7, 2020
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor COVID-19 stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
Charlotte– Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR-04),and 81 additional Members of Congress sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy requesting the strongest possible relief for the United States Postal Service in the next round of COVID-19 relief legislation.
"We write to request that any future relief package provide strong financial assistance to the United States Postal Service (USPS) while also enacting reforms necessary for its long-term viability ..." write Reps. Adams and DeFazio. "In the CARES Act, Congress sought to stabilize our nation from the consequences of the novel coronavirus. Now, as we seek to stimulate our nation, we must take decisive steps to secure one of our country's oldest, most cherished, and most valuable institutions."
"Congresswoman Adams knows that the United States Postal Service provides an essential, constitutionally mandated service that is impossible to replicate or replace," said North Carolina Association of Letters Carries Legislative Liaison Tim Rorie. "We need the strongest possible relief for USPS and the letter carriers on the front lines of this crisis. Thank you to Rep. Adams and the 82 other members of Congress standing up to say US Mail is essential: not for sale, nor on the chopping block."
Congresswoman Adams has a long history of supporting USPS, Postal Workers, and Letter Carriers. In the 116th Congress, Rep. Adams is a cosponsor of H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act, H.R. 6425, the Protect our Post Offices Act, and four resolutions expressing the sense of the House to strengthen the Post Office (House Resolutions 23, 33, 54, and 60). Additionally, Adams was a co-signer on Rep. Cleaver's letter in support of fulfilling Postmaster General Brennan's request for emergency funding. Finally, she is the sponsor of H.R. 4981, which would designate the US Post Office facility at 2505 Derita Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina as the Julius L. Chambers Civil Rights Memorial Post Office. The bill passed the House in February.
In addition to Adams and DeFazio, co-signers of the letter include Representatives Al Lawson, Alan Lowenthal, Albio Sires, Alcee L. Hastings, Angie Craig, Anthony G. Brown, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Brian Higgins, Cedric L. Richmond, Chellie Pingree, Danny K. Davis, Darren Soto, David E. Price, Deb Haaland, Debbie Dingell, Derek Kilmer, Diana DeGette, Donald S. Beyer Jr., Donna E. Shalala, Earl Blumenauer, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Eliot L. Engel, G. K. Butterfield, Gerald E. Connolly, Grace F. Napolitano, Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Jackie Speier, Jahana Hayes, Jamie Raskin, Jared Huffman, Jerry McNerney, Jesús G. "Chuy" García, Jim Costa, Joe Neguse, John Yarmuth, Joseph D. Morelle, Joseph P. Kennedy, III, Joyce Beatty, Kathy Castor, Katie Porter, Linda T. Sánchez, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Lizzie Fletcher, Lori Trahan, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Marcia L. Fudge, Marcy Kaptur, Mark Takano, Maxine Waters, Mike Levin, Mike Thompson, Norma J. Torres, Nydia M. Velázquez, Paul D. Tonko, Peter Welch, Rashida Tlaib, Raúl M. Grijalva, Rick Larsen, Rosa DeLauro, Ruben Gallego, Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Stephen F. Lynch, Steve Cohen, Steven Horsford, Sylvia R. Garcia, Ted Deutch, Ted W. Lieu, Terri A. Sewell, Thomas R. Suozzi, Tim Ryan, TJ Cox, Vincente Gonzalez, William R. Keating, Wm. Lacy Clay, Xochitl Torres Small, Yvette D. Clarke, and Zoe Lofgren.
Congresswoman Alma Adamshas represented North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) since 2014 and has served on the House Committee on Agriculture since 2015, where she serves as Vice Chair of the committee. Additionally, she has served on the Education & Labor Committee since 2015 and as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee since 2019. She has served on the Financial Services Committee since 2019.
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