The Hill News

In the middle of our nation’s debate over the federal deficit and debt ceiling last month, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced that it will begin studying over 3,700 post offices and retail facilities for possible closure. In addition to the 728 retail postal facilities that are being considered for consolidation under a 2009 initiative, nearly 4,400 post offices, branches, and stations -- as well as the thousands of employees who work at these locations -- are on the chopping block.

Nearly thirty percent of the all the postal facilities listed for consolidation are located in five states, with Texas leading the way at 222 potential closures. Ten of those are in the greater Houston area and five are located in our 29th Congressional District. Every single facility mentioned is located in a lower income and predominately minority neighborhood. Almost without exception, this pattern holds for our nation’s other great cities as well. Having lived in Houston my! whole life, I can vouch that the post offices in our district are highly used by their communities and an important part of our local economy.

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