Living in Southeast Missouri teaches you pretty quickly that not every service can be taken for granted. One of those is the US Postal Service.

For many people in Southeast Missouri, the mail isn’t just about birthday cards or bills. It’s how seniors receive prescriptions. It’s how veterans get important documents. It’s how farmers receive parts, paperwork, and supplies during planting and harvest. It’s how many small businesses stay connected with customers. When mail service slows down, rural communities feel it first.

That’s why I appreciate Senator Josh Hawley for asking tough questions during a hearing earlier this summer on the nominees for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. His focus on protecting rural mail service reflected concerns many Missourians have been raising for years.

The committee has now advanced those nominations, but that shouldn’t mean the process is over. As these nominees move toward consideration by the full Senate, lawmakers should take the time to ensure they fully understand the responsibility they’re being asked to assume.

The Postal Service Board of Governors is not a ceremonial board. It helps shape the long-term direction of one of the country’s most important public institutions. Decisions made by the Board affect service standards, operational priorities, and the future of an agency that millions of Americans rely on every day.

During the confirmation process, nominees discussed significant spending reductions and broader operational changes. Those conversations deserve careful follow-up, particularly for rural states like Missouri. Before these nominations move any further, the Senate should have confidence that each nominee understands the Postal Service’s universal service obligation and appreciates what reliable mail delivery means outside major metropolitan areas.

Missourians have already experienced the consequences of mail delays and service disruptions. Farmers cannot afford to wait on time-sensitive deliveries. Small businesses depend on dependable shipping. Seniors and veterans shouldn’t have to wonder whether medications will arrive on time. Rural communities deserve the same level of commitment as every other part of the country.

There is no urgent need to rush these nominations through the Senate before the August recess. A few additional weeks of review is a reasonable step for positions with this level of responsibility and this much potential impact on rural America.

I hope Senator Hawley continues doing what he has already done well: asking tough questions, listening to the concerns being raised by Missourians, and ensuring these nominees receive the careful scrutiny they deserve before the Senate takes its final vote.

For rural Missouri, especially Southeast Missouri, reliable mail service isn’t a convenience. It’s essential infrastructure. That alone is reason enough to slow down and get these nominations right.

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