WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Some lawmakers are pushing to re-establish postal banking to help low-income families and rural communities.
“The U.S. Postal Service has the real estate, the workforce and the know-how to meet this need,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said.
Gillibrand introduced the Postal Banking Act, which would give access to services like savings and checking accounts, debit cards, and low-fee ATMs at the post office.
“More than 46 million adults are not having their needs met by the current banking system,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand says the move will help low-income Americans avoid high-fee lending and check cashing companies.
“Lack of proximity to local bank branches and lack of trust of banks pushing the unbanked towards risking often predatory alternative financial products,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand believes the bill could generate new business for the struggling postal agency.
“It will provide a much-needed source of revenue for the U.S. Postal Service,” Gillibrand said.
“The way we bank has changed,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said.
Capito says she hasn’t seen the legislation yet but believes it’s more important to develop models everyone can use.
“We have to look at banking too. The nature of banking has changed. I mean, we’re doing things on our phones that we never thought we could do,” Capito said.
Gillibrand hopes she can get the bill passed with Republican support before the end of the year.