WASHINGTON D.C.: Following announcements that the U.S. Postal Service was raising prices and reducing services, the state attorneys general of 19 states and the District of Columbia are seeking to block the post office plan.

The states have filed an administrative complaint seeking to block the 10-year strategic plan, which calls for closing some local post offices, slow some mail deliveries and reduce retail hours.

The protesting states include New York, California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

The plan by the postal service seeks to save $160 billion, according to officials.

“With little regard for the process or the consequences, these proposals threaten to put our democracy and our people at risk. Americans from all across the spectrum rely on the U.S. Postal Service for their medication, paychecks, and election mail,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as reported by Reuters.
Even before a slow down in services, reports indicate that seven percent of the nation’s periodicals are taking longer to be delivered by the post office. Also, some businesses are telling customers to allow for more time when paying bills through the mail.

The U.S. Congress is now considering a plan to provide $46 billion in financial relief to the postal service over 10 years.

In testimony before Congress in 2021, postal officials reported that the Postal Service was losing $10 billion per year and, unless there are reforms, was “on a death spiral.”