Political Quotes

On the recordMarch 27, 2012
there is no question the Postal Service faces serious challenges, and it needs to work with Congress and the American people to address them. There are some who say that the Postal Service can cut its way out of its financial hole. The plan put forth by the Postmaster General would do just that. It would have a heavy impact on my State, with at least 8 processing facility closures and perhaps more than 250 post office closures. Under that plan, mail from Springfield--the State capital--would be shipped all the way to St. Louis, just to come back to Springfield once again. And these facilities are key hubs of commerce throughout the State. Take Quincy, IL, for example. The Postal Service had already studied Quincy for consolidation in 2009. At that time, the Postal Service found that the facility in Quincy was efficient and closing it would not create new efficiencies. Despite that finding, the Postmaster General decided to press ahead with the closure of the Quincy facility this year. The facts are in Quincy's favor, but it seems that the Postal Service only wants to cut its way to death. This bill is about jobs too. The Postal Service employs more than 30,000 people in my State, from clerks, to drivers, to postmasters, to letter carriers, and so many more. These are not high-paying jobs, they are not glamorous. These are middle-class jobs that support the world's best postal delivery network.…
Said by
Dick Durbin
Democratic · Illinois
Source
govinfo.gov
Mar 27, 2012

Share

More from Dick Durbin

Aug 26, 2026

Yesterday’s Supreme Court order is a temporary procedural win for President Trump as he attempts to pursue these lawless goals—but it doesn’t change the reality that the Constitution empowers states to run our elections, and the rule of…

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 19, 2026

We always work closely with the leaders in local government regardless of their party affiliation.

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 17, 2026

Nominations hearings, like this one today, are an essential part of the Senate’s role in providing advice and consent on presidential nominees. This constitutional duty is a critical check on the Executive Branch. And it has never been…

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 29, 2026

Through these hearings, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is intentionally overcrowding dockets with little notice to immigrants in an effort to manufacture significant numbers of removal…

durbin.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation