States Continued Support Biden, Says Boeing Plea Deal Is A Step Forward
by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie
US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, called on the US Postal Service to reconsider its planned increase in the cost of mailing items set for later this month, while also fielding questions about President Joe Biden’s fitness and charges against Boeing.
“Americans are about to see a really excessive and unacceptable increase in postal rates that will have a ripple effect economically throughout the country,” Blumenthal said at a press conference at the post office on Woodland Street in Hartford. “This rate increase is the sixth increase in postal rates in just three years. An increase overall of 23% in just three years. That is about 200% above the rate of inflation or more. And the effects will be on all of the businesses as well as consumers who use the traditional postal service.”
The rate to mail a one ounce letter wil increase from 68 cents to 73 cents on July 14, with other mail services seeing increases in cost as well. The increase comes on top of recent rate increases which saw the cost of mailing letters go from 55 cents to 68 cents in recent years.
Blumenthal said that the combination of increased prices and decreased service has put the U.S. Postal Service in an “unsustainable” position. According to Blumenthal, mail volume has decreased from 213 billion pieces a year in 2006 to 160 billion in 2023. While he acknowledged that increased use of technology such as email has played a role, Blumenthal focused on the decisions at the postal service which are driving up costs for Americans.
“What’s causing the rate hike is the Postal Service wanted to increase revenue and make a profit,” he said. “The delivery of mail is a constitutional duty. It is now, in effect, privately run. But that’s no excuse for putting the profit motive over affordability. [The cost increase] is going to hit small businesses that rely on metered mail as well as stamps, but also other big corporations that rely on metered mail to run their businesses. The ripple effect will be throughout the economy whether it is the corner store on Main Street or the major corporation that employs hundreds even thousands of people. Mail is a basic service that is essential to businesses much like eating or sleeping is to human beings.”
Blumenthal also took questions regarding the controversy surrounding President Biden and his ability to continue as the Democratic nominee in the wake of his poor performance at the presidential debate on June 27.
“President Biden has my support as an Democratic candidate,” Blumenthal said. “He has my support and I would say that of most of my colleagues at this point. No one has expressed opposition to President Biden in the Senate, and we’re going to be engaged in ongoing conversations as we have been over the last week or so. But the main point I think on our minds is the contrast between President Biden and Donald Trump which was absolutely clear in the debate.”
Blumenthal’s comments came after President Biden sent congressional Democrats a letter on his personal letterhead, informing them that he intends to remain in the presidential race against former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
When asked whether the settlement Boeing had agreed to in order to avoid criminal prosecution over the the crashes of two 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people, Blumenthal said that the plea deal is a serious step, but not the final one.
“The investigative effort by my subcommittee, the permanent subcommittee on investigations, will continue aggressively and intently and we will be producing a report,” he said. “But my hope is that the Justice Department will continue its investigative effort into the continuing culture of cover – up as well as questions about safety and quality in Boeing’s manufacturing. We need Boeing to succeed and I am very hopeful that Boeing is on a path to come back if, and it’s a big if, it prioritizes safety and quality over profit, stock price and the next earnings report.”
Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge after federal investigators determined the company had deceived regulators. The investigation stemmed from crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia where all passengers and crew were killed. Boeing will pay over $246 million in fines, and an independent monitor will oversee the company’s safety and quality procedures for the next three years. The deal only accounts for the deadly crashes, and Boeing remains exposed for a spate of recent air safety incidents, including a panel blowing off of another Max jetliner over Oregon in January.