Moran talks about pandemic relief, the U.S. Postal Service

Moran, a Kansas Republican, spoke at the weekly meeting of the Parsons Rotary Club at the Wall Family Center, 2605 Main. Moran is away from Washington, D.C., for a few days and seeking input from constituents on a number of issues, including what the next COVID-19 relief bill should look like.

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major donor to President Trump, initiated cost-savings measures in the Postal Service since he began his job in mid-June. His actions provoked Democrats and others who say the cost cutting could delay delivery of mail and advance ballots mailed in for the November general election. Millions of Americans, fearing contracting the coronavirus from waiting in long lines at polling locations and voting inside a building, are expected to use advance ballots to participate in the November election.

The U.S. House on Saturday passed an emergency bill that would send $25 billion to shore up the Postal Service ahead of the election and block operational changes implemented by DeJoy. Trump, who insists that mail-in voting is riddled with fraud, though there is no proof of that, is against the bill. On Sunday, the White House dismissed the bill as “going nowhere,” even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged senators to act quickly on it.

Rotarian Glenn Fischer, a former Postal Service employee, made a statement about the mail service during the question and answer segment of Moran’s talk. Fischer said he started with the service in 1966 when it was a government agency. In 1970, the Postal Service reorganized as a quasi-independent agency with congressional oversight. Fischer said it was peculiar to him that a member of the president’s staff is giving guidance to the Postal Rate Commission and had influence in the selection of the postmaster general.

Moran said he was concerned about the Postal Service. He said it’s not a business but a service.

“And it matters greatly to Kansans, especially rural, disabled and veterans,” he said.

Nearly 90% of prescriptions delivered by the U.S. Veterans Administration are delivered to veterans through the mail, so that service needs to work well, he said.

Moran said the service has had significant challenges. He said when cost-cutting is discussed rural America may be impacted. 

“Where distance is long and customers few, and there’s not a business model that makes that work very well as far as breaking even or making a profit,” Moran said.

The service performs better financially in high population areas and he thinks its work should be subsidized for rural areas.

The pandemic has impacted the service, as package volumes increased and letter volumes decreased. He hopes Congress can come up with a plan to help the service deal with its pandemic-related losses.

DeJoy has declined to meet with Moran or any member of Congress, Moran said. But Moran said he spoke to two previous postmaster generals and urged them to listen to employees to find efficiencies. He said the service cannot cut services and expect its financial health to improve.

“People will find other options if the post office has fewer hours … (or) mail is delivered on fewer days. If you make this less about service and more about the bottom line you’re going to lose revenue and not gain revenue. We’re on a mission trying to help save the Postal Service. And we have our challenges,” Moran said.

As for the election, Moran said anyone legally entitled to vote should be able to vote.

“It’s not my job to try to discourage someone who might be voting for a different candidate or a different party than the one I belong to. I want everybody to vote, and we tally the totals, and the American people and Kansans decide it,” Moran said.

“I would not want to be involved in anything that discourages people from voting. I think it’s probably in many people’s best interest to vote by mail,” he said, adding that voters should check with the county clerk for the correct way of doing that.

He said ballots should be mailed early so they get to the clerk’s office by deadline so that every vote counts.

In Kansas, advance ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received in the clerk’s office by the Friday after Election Day will be counted.

Fischer said he was concerned when a branch of government was interfering with the Postal Service, but he said the public discussion on the matter has brought attention to the service and introduced facts about its operations.

Moran discussed other topics Thursday, most of them relating to coronavirus relief.

While he’s away from Washington, Moran said he may have to return with 24-hour notice if a vote is needed on the next piece of COVID-19 relief legislation.

Congress has spent trillions on relief measures, but Moran hopes the next package will be measured in cost and scope. Finding consensus has been difficult as the election draws near, especially between Democrats and Trump.

Moran said he would prefer that the next legislation relate to health and wellness.

“Trying to find ways that we can make circumstances better long enough until the health of the country, the health of the community, returns and things get back closer to normal,” he said.

He said the Paycheck Protection Program was successful and 80% of businesses in Kansas with fewer than 500 employees applied. That was back when politicians thought the virus would be an issue for a couple of months and then go away. When it didn’t, Democrats and Republicans wondered what to do next. That’s why he returns to constituents to ask them what they think is needed, he said. Kansas has already benefited to the tune of $13.4 billion in COVID-19 relief. That’s taxpayer money and borrowed money.

“And I’m of the view that we are not in position to continue to borrow money in the magnitude that we have been doing to date. We need to narrow our focus, target the money and spend less and not more. And there aren’t enough government programs and enough taxpayer dollars to put us back into position of where we’d like to be in the absence of us getting back to work and the economy functioning,” Moran said.

That’s why he would like the next round to address health care, keeping hospitals solvent and sufficient and meeting the needs of patients. More COVID-19 testing is necessary so the nation can isolate those who are ill and allow those who are not to resume full activities using social distancing and wearing masks.

He said he understands those who do not want to wear a mask, but wearing one is about caring for others rather than looking out for yourself.

“Anything that we can do that gets us in a closer position, in people being healthy and knowing that they are healthy, is a good thing in getting us back to normal,” he said.

Moran also recognized the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The regional administrator and deputy administrator, Jason M. Mohr and Bruce L. Ladd, were in Parsons Thursday and attended the Rotary meeting. Moran said housing is an issue statewide and affordable housing is key to job growth.

He asked Mohr and Ladd to make sure good things happen in Southeast Kansas. He said HUD is fully engaged in public policy related to housing and if he can help he would like to do so.