U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Friday he is considering the elimination of Alaska’s bypass mail program, which ships groceries to rural communities and indirectly supports airlines in Alaska.

DeJoy defended the potential move during a senate hearing in Washington saying that the program is mandated but not funded. A 2011 U.S. Postal Service report stated that in 2010, the program resulted in a $73 million loss.

The program ships mostly groceries and other bulk cargo directly to airlines, bypassing a physical postal office. Alaska legislators have expressed alarm at the program’s proposed elimination, which is critical for supplying rural communities in the western part of the state. It is also vital to smaller airline companies, which rely on mail contracts. The program has existed since 1972.

You can read the full story from Anchorage Daily News here: https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/08/21/alaskas-expensive-rural-mail-subsidy-is-on-the-table-postmaster-general-tells-senate-committee/