From Politico

Propping up the postal service

What they got: The final bill would provide the already-underwater U.S. Postal Service with a $10 billion Treasury loan to stave off total insolvency, but not a direct infusion of emergency cash. House Democrats had wanted a $25 billion appropriation to keep the federal carrier going amid the pandemic, in addition to language that would wipe out its $11 billion debt.

Why it matters: Democrats have warned that fallout from the virus could decimate the U.S. Postal Service by June, absent action from Congress. While the independent agency now has some extra borrowing authority, it could require more direct aid in future legislative packages to stay afloat.

From Business Insider

The coronavirus relief bill lets the US Post Office take a page from Amazon’s delivery playbook

As part of a $10 billion relief package for the US Postal Service, congress authorized the agency to create temporary delivery points.

The goal is to reduce human contact and transmission of the coronavirus, and could look a lot like Amazon’s locker delivery option.

Earlier this week, lawmakers warned mail service could be in jeopardy as soon as June if solutions were not enacted.

The Post Office could implement Amazon-like delivery points under the coronavirus relief bill approved by the Senate late Wednesday.

As part of the $2 trillion package, the United States Postal Service is authorized to “establish temporary delivery points, in such form and manner as the Postal Service determines necessary, to protect employees of the Postal Service and individuals receiving deliveries from the Postal Service.”

It’s not clear what those delivery options might look like, but the description is not unlike those of Amazon’s delivery lockers. In more than 900 US cities, shoppers can opt to have their delivery sent to a secure locker that’s unlocked with a code to retrieve their package. Read more