{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-urges-protections-for-rural-delivery-as-congress-considers-postal-reform", "McCaskill Urges Protections for Rural Delivery as Congress Considers Postal Reform", "2016-11-21", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Urges Protections for Rural Delivery as Congress Considers Postal Reform \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator supports bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve and protect mail delivery, service \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, November 21, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill joined a bipartisan group of more than 80 lawmakers from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to call for lasting solutions to improve and protect mail delivery and service in comprehensive U.S. Postal Service reform legislation.\r\n\u201cThe Postal Service and its employees play a vital role in our nation,\u201d wrote McCaskill, who was just named the top-ranking Democrat of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs which has jurisdiction over the United States Postal Service. \u201cIt is essential that we preserve the Postal Service\u2019s commitment to the American public. For this reason, improving service needs to be a critical piece of any comprehensive postal reform bill, along with the needed reforms to return the Postal Service to fiscal sustainability. Continued poor mail service hurts rural America, businesses, and our economy.\u201d\r\nMcCaskill and her colleagues are calling on congressional leaders to ensure that any comprehensive bill will improve the Postal Service\u2019s financial condition and strengthen mail service, improve delivery, and protect Postal Service customers.\r\nMcCaskill, a\u00a0longtime advocate\u00a0for postal service in rural communities, is widely credited with having\u00a0waged a successful campaign over several years to save rural post offices and maintain delivery standards. Earlier this year, she\u00a0called out the Postal Service\u00a0for its use of its \u201cemergency suspension\u201d authority to close down Missouri post offices, potentially\u00a0circumventing the standard process\u00a0that requires input from communities that would feel the effects of a closure and notifications to Congress.\r\nIn January, McCaskill\u00a0demanded answers\u00a0from the Postal Service on how it will protect mail delivery for rural Missourians and efficiently manage the cost-sharing benefits with competitors to carry mail the \u201clast mile,\u201d especially in rural areas, saying: \u201cI think it\u2019s really important we get a handle on [rural delivery times]. Those of us who are really pushing to protect rural delivery\u2026think it\u2019s important we know what we\u2019re working with from a data-driven basis.\u201d\r\nAnd McCaskill is a leading sponsor of the\u00a0Rural Postal Act, a bill that aims to improve postal service, delivery times, and standards in rural communities that have been disproportionately affected by cuts to the Postal Service. The bill\u2014also backed by Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Jon Tester of Montana\u2014would restore overnight delivery, return a faster First-Class mail standard, make six-day delivery permanent, and enact strict criteria the Postal Service would have to meet before closing a post office to ensure that rural communities are still able to easily access the mail system.\r\nFull text of the letter HERE.\r\nVisit\u00a0mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-urges-protections-for-rural-delivery-as-congress-considers-postal-reform"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.975049264729023, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}