Many observers suggest that the United States is coming apart as a nation. They parse us into red states and blue states, urban areas versus rural. Some believe that our social and political divides are too wide to overcome.

I don’t accept that.

As someone who grew up in Peoria, Illinois, lived and worked in Chicago, and is raising a family in suburban Schaumburg, I know there’s a lot more that unites us than divides us.

One of those things is the United States Postal Service, which even predates the founding of our nation. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin served as its champion and the first postmaster general. He knew that reliable mail service was necessary for the Colonies’ survival. For more than 250 years, the Postal Service has bound our nation together, ensuring that every American, no matter where they live, is a valued part of the whole.

That’s why it’s so concerning that an administration that pledges to “Make America Great Again” has put one of our greatest national assets on the chopping block.

In December, The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a move to privatize the Postal Service. Last month, the Post reported that, according to six people familiar with its plans, the administration is preparing to dissolve the leadership of the Postal Service and absorb the independent agency into the Commerce Department.

Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising. During his first term, Trump appointed business tycoon and top Republican Party funder Louis DeJoy as the postmaster general. During his time in that position, DeJoy attempted to “save” the Postal Service by raising the cost of stamps while simultaneously reducing its service standards — a prescription that predictably resulted in greater delays in receiving mail.

Fortunately, DeJoy recently announced his resignation. But rather than replacing him with a better steward, the Trump administration is contemplating placing the Postal Service in private hands.

No private industry provides universal service, particularly to exurban and rural households whose service may not be “profitable.” Without the work of USPS letter carriers, more than 51.5 million households and businesses in rural communities would have no guaranteed delivery of critical items such as medications, ballots and bills.

In many small communities across Illinois and elsewhere, the post office is a center for local news and social activity. Losing their post offices could literally take these communities off the map.

Since its inauguration in January, this administration has undertaken a systematic slashing of institutions from Social Security and Veterans Affairs to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. These steps, taken at the direction of billionaire Elon Musk without transparency and bypassing Congress, threaten reliable, essential services upon which millions of Americans depend. Unfortunately, the Postal Service appears to be next in line.

As a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has broad jurisdiction over activities of the federal government, I have asked for public hearings on any attempt by this administration to privatize the Postal Service.

Fortunately, the committee’s Republican chairman recently responded to my demand by promising to hold hearings, should the administration move forward with such plans.

We Americans are united by many things, including our historic Postal Service. It ensures that every person counts, no matter who they are or where they live. In a time of division and discord threatening our unity as a nation, we should preserve and protect the institutions that knit us closer together.

The U.S. Postal Service belongs at the top of that list.

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U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, has represented Illinois’ 8th Congressional District since 2017.

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