1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Today I take pen in hand to strongly protest attempts by the Trump Administration to control the US Postal Service in a way that will make it easier to privatize. This has devastating implications for vote-by-mail programs, and could lead to voter suppression. It would also seriously hurt small businesses, and lead to disruption of secure nationwide mail distribution. Privatizing this essential public service would jeopardize universal mail delivery and undermine its core mission of binding the nation together. The USPS is a constitutionally mandated service dating back over 200 years. Privatization would undoubtedly raise costs for small businesses, and online marketplaces like Etsy and eBay, where small merchants, bookstores, artists and all manner of cottage industries sell their goods to support their families. I don’t buy any of the arguments that ‘well, other countries have done it’. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose any efforts to privatize or undermine the independence of the Postal Service. This critical infrastructure must remain under the control of the American people it serves, not subject to profit motives or political interference. Preserve the USPS as a public service for all citizens, and for our voting rights. Thank you.