WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva issued a statement following the implementation of Trump Appointee U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s plan to hike mail rates and slow service standards for U.S. Postal Service (USPS) consumers:

“Thanks to ​the politicization and poor leadership of Postmaster DeJoy, beginning today, the U.S. Postal Service will become slower and more expensive​ for tens of millions of people across our nation. The proposed 10-year reorganizational plan, ​which lacked impact analysis, cuts service standards for first-class mail and may adversely affect delivery ​times for our constituents that depend on USPS for prescription drugs, ​bill payments, and more. The implemented rate hikes will also impact ​the elderly, disabled, and rural and underserved communities even more ​especially as we approach the holiday season.

​Unfortunately, this is ​a lingering Trump​-era political appointee and policy to privatize and dismantle the U.S. Postal Service. This plan​ causes further harm to the reputation of USPS which has stood as a universally beloved and trusted institution for years on end. Consumers ​will no longer be able to depend on a reliable and speedy mail service and our postal workers​ will no longer be able to protect the service standards guaranteed under law. We need ​strong leadership at the helm of USPS that can advocate for and implement real postal reform that provides top-notch service, fast delivery for consumers and protects our postal workers and the integrity of our postal system.”