Samantha Bee makes the case for saving the Post Office from Trump's ill-timed, unpopular vendetta


President Trump ordered military jets to put on a show to honor the health-care workers fighting COVID-19, and Full Frontal's Samantha Bee wasn't impressed with the expensive gesture. "We should absolutely honor essential workers, but not with military jets," she said. "We should actually be protecting them. And there's one group of workers who really need our protection right now: the Postal Service."
"Last week, Trump threatened to block coronavirus aid for the U.S. Postal Service unless it hikes its prices immediately," Bee said. "Specifically, the president thinks the Post Office is undercharging Amazon for deliveries, something his own administration has debunked. Trump is obsessed with Amazon and hates Jeff Bezos, and not for all the good reasons to hate Jeff Bezos. It's because he owns The Washington Post." Look, "this is the worst possible time for us to have to suffer through another one of the president's vendettas," she said. "It's an election year, and with coronavirus outbreaks expected to continue through the fall, the Postal Service may be the only thing that could save our democracy."
"The Postal Service is one of the only federal agencies directly authorized in the Constitution, and it's one of the most democratic institutions we have: It's legally required to deliver to anyone, anywhere, at the same price," at no cost to taxpayers, Bee said. More than 9 in 10 Democrats and Republicans approve of the USPS, "but even if their voters like it, Republican leaders hate when the government actually works. They've been trying to undermine the Postal Service for decades," and "ultimately, they want to privatize the Post Office," which makes no sense.
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USPS is able to serve as "a desperately needed lifeline delivering food, medications, and supplies" right now because "it reaches all 160 million addresses in America," Bee said. "That includes places that aren't profitable for private companies to serve, which is why rural communities will suffer the most if we lose it." Her short-term solution involves stamps, and you can learn more below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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