Dear Friend,

I hope you and your family are continuing to stay healthy and well. Over the past few weeks, there has been an increase in concerns over the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to perform its core function of delivering mail, specifically in regards to the upcoming election in November. It has been difficult for many to find reliable, factual information to read on this issue, so I wanted to use this newsletter to share some facts and helpful information that you should know about regarding our postal operations. 

Election Capabilities:

There has been much doubt about this election and mail-in capabilities. As you may know, Arizonans have always voted by mail in overwhelming numbers, and the state is well equipped for an election where the majority of voters decide to cast their ballot by mail.  In 2016, for example, of the 1,608,875 votes cast in Maricopa County, 1,251,975 were done through early voting ballots cast days if not weeks before the election. Similar to the 2016, our country is prepared for this upcoming election and for ensuring postal operations can continue to support your mail. 

Postal Operations Funding:

There is no doubt that the USPS is in a dire financial situation. The postal service lost $8.8 billion in 2019, and early this spring USPS projected to Congress that it would lose $2 billion a month for the following 18 months.  In positive news, it appears the numbers may be more promising than were predicted this spring with the influx of mail in the past few months.

The USPS still needs reform and restructuring to ensure that it remains viable in the long term.  Congress should not mandate that the postal service not make any changes to their operations in the future, as these types of unworkable mandates will only result in taxpayer funded bailouts and will put retired postal worker’s pensions at risk.

Information from USPS Past Employees:

The retired Chairwoman and Commissioner of the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission Ms. Ruth Goldway, who was first appointed under President Clinton, remained under President Bush, and was elected as Chairman under President Obama, wrote elegantly on this on August 18th, 2020.  Ms. Goldway said: 

"The Post Office Is Perfectly Capable of Handling Election Mail. I served as a regulator of the Postal Service for nearly 18 years under three presidents and I urge everyone to be calm. Don’t fall prey to the alarmists on both sides of this debate. The Postal Service is not incapacitated. It is still fully capable of delivering the mail. The focus of our collective concerns should be on how the Postal Service can improve the speed of delivery for election mail. The Postal Service has the capacity to ensure that ballots sent to voters arrive on time and that ballots dropped into the system by voters are postmarked and delivered in times that accord with state and local guidelines. But state and local election officials must also recognize the possibilities of delays and plan for earlier mailings so there will be more days for ballots to be returned. Voters must be reminded to send in requests for ballots, change of address, voter registration forms and especially filled-out ballots as early as possible (paras. 2-12). 

I hope this information is helpful for you as we all continue to educate ourselves on what changes are important for the United States Postal Service. I will continue to utilize these facts and information for making decisions in Congress. 

Updates for Business Owners

I joined the Arizona Bankers Association for their annual Congressional Roundtable earlier this week. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our office worked hand-in-hand with our local banks as small business owners applied for the Paycheck Protection Program Loans to help support their workforce and operations. 

In Arizona’s 6th District, over 200,000 jobs were supported by this program throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. These jobs were saved thanks to a coordinated effort between our banks and Congress to provide resources to business owners as quickly as possible. I appreciate the work our banks have done to keep our local businesses open, and thank them for inviting me to this conference. 

In other business-related news, the Arizona Rent and Mortgage Relief Grant program has begun accepting applications. This program aims to help small businesses in Arizona who are still shutdown due to COVID-19. If you are a small business owner, you may be eligible for mortgage and rent relief through this program. You can use this link to apply. 

High Winds in Arizona

This past week, our community experienced incredible damage from high winds and rain. We hope that you and your family are staying safe during our high temperatures and monsoon season here in Arizona. 

If you ever experience a power outage, the APS Outage Map can be a helpful tool for reporting an outage and to see what parts of our community are being impacted. We must also be aware of best resources for practicing heat safety, which you can find here. 

I appreciate you taking the time to read my weekly E-Newsletter. Feel welcome to share this email with friends so they can subscribe for updates and feel welcome to like and follow my social media accounts for additional updates. If you would like to contact me, please browse my website for the different services our office can help you with.

Sincerely,

David Schweikert