I know this update is coming a little late later than usual, but I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for sharing the petition. I've read the comments, and so many of you have heartfelt stories about the post office—how you use it, how it affects your life. I want to share a little more about how it has affected mine.
I was adopted as a child by my grandparents. In elementary school, I was often bullied, and many days, I would spend recess or lunch inside the classroom with my teacher. From the window, I would watch the mailman go from house to house, through the rain, snow, and sleet. He was the same carrier who delivered to my house, and I thought he was so cool and brave.
One day, as I was walking home—back when kids regularly walked home from school—I tripped while chasing after my sisters. My mailman saw me fall and helped me up. That moment solidified in my mind that mail carriers were some of the coolest people out there.
Fast forward to 2008—the Great Recession. My dad had passed a few years earlier, and my mom, who had been an appraiser for 30 years, was laid off. With three teenage girls to raise in her 50s, she took on two jobs to make ends meet.
Then came eBay. My mom started making and selling jewelry online, and the post office provided the most economical way for her to ship her products. It allowed her to sell beyond our local farmers' markets—though I do love a good farmers' market! To this day, my mom, now in her 70s, still sells on eBay.
Why am I sharing this? Because, like many people, I didn’t think much about the post office in my adult years—until my mom reminded me just how crucial it was during one of the hardest periods of our lives.
Many of you have shared that you rely on the USPS to communicate with elderly family members. In today’s world of "just email it," I think we often forget how much our elderly communities depend on traditional mail.
My mom gets mail every single day (except Sundays) and opens all of it. She prefers paper bills. She prefers printed tickets when she goes to an event. She prefers doing things in a way that some might consider outdated—but it’s her choice.
People deserve to receive letters, art, meaningful correspondence, and personal interactions with their mail carriers.
This petition is about keeping that choice—keeping mail economical, safe, accessible, and accountable.
So again, thank you. Thank you for signing, sharing, promoting, and commenting. Our ability to come together and express our voices—to protect this great institution and keep it public—is what makes it great to be an American.
I’m so proud to stand alongside all of you in this fight.