McCaskill Calls for Action by House on Post Office Closures

This week, as a temporary ban on post office closings expires, a local official in northwest Missouri is speaking out about the successful fight waged by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to save 16 local postal facilities from closure—and what McCaskill’s effort means for families and businesses in the region.

“Senator McCaskill has been proactive on this issue from the beginning,” said former State Representative and Jameson native Beth Wheeler.  “I think that a community without a post office is like a house without running water. . . it may still function, but it requires more planning, time, travel, and effort, which could be better used to strengthen and grow that community.”

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans last year to shutter thousands of post offices across the country—most from rural communities—as part of a larger cost-savings package. Five post offices in the area -- Allendale, Denver, Worth, Gentry, and Parnell -- were part of the plan.

McCaskill waged a year-long battle against the closures, arguing that shutting down rural post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, but would deal significant blows to communities across rural America. McCaskill helped win a temporary moratorium on closures, and then successfully passed an amendment to the Senate’s postal reform legislation that protected rural communities from losing their post offices while implementing major cost-saving reforms like addressing the Postal Service’s pre-funding requirement for retiree benefits.

As a result of McCaskill’s efforts, the U.S. Postal Service reversed course last week and announced that it no longer intends to close down rural post offices.

“I waged this fight because, as a daughter of rural Missouri, I know exactly what these post offices mean for the small towns they serve,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “I’ve fought alongside folks on the ground in Missouri to send a message that our post offices are more than just brick and mortar—they’re the lifeblood of rural America. And that message has been heard loud and clear. That we were able to save these post offices means that seniors will still have access to life-saving prescription drugs, that area businesses won’t have to contend with losing their shipping location, and that hard-hit small towns won’t have to lose good-paying jobs. But I’m not going to rest on our accomplishment. I plan to keep working hard in the weeks and months ahead to ensure that families and businesses in northwest Missouri can continue relying on their local post offices.”

McCaskill also again called for action by the U.S. House of Representatives, which has so far failed to move on postal reform legislation. Unless the House acts to pass legislation addressing its finances, the Postal Service will likely be forced to make drastic cuts to service resulting in slower mail delivery, an end to Saturday delivery, and the shuttering of mail processing facilities in Missouri—changes that would hurt rural businesses and families in small towns across Missouri.