House Dems Demand Investigation After Farmers Get Thousands of Dead Baby Chicks in Mail

Phillip NietoAug 22nd, 2020, 10:27 pm
 
baby chicks

Photo by DaPuglet via Flickr.

A dozen House Democrats are demanding an investigation from the United States Postal Service into why farmers are receiving thousands of dead baby chicks in the mail.

Farmers are claiming that they have lost thousands of dollars in revenue after dead baby chicks arrived to them in the mail due to shipping delays. In Maine, state postal workers are blaming a bill supported by Sen. Susan Collins for a “weakened postal service” with 4,800 chicks arriving dead to farmers in recent weeks, according to Salon.

“For 100+ years, agriculture businesses have relied on USPS, but recent mail disruptions have taken a huge toll on them,” Said Maine democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree. “In Maine, thousands of mail-order chicks have died in transit—a tragic & unprecedented occurrence.”

She adds, “I’m urging  USPS & USDA to investigate now.”

None of this is good news for Collins as she faces a tough reelection in November for the seat she’s held for over 23 years. The bill postal workers are blaming for the mail delays is the 2005 Postal Accountability and Enhacment Act (PAEA) that Collins co-sponsored.

The bill reportedly required the USPS to pre-fund all of its retirement health benefits back 75 years, which is not typical for federal agencies. In 2006, Collins admitted it was “not a perfect” bill, later adding “I am convinced it will put the U.S. Postal Service on a sound financial footing for years to come.”

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