Latest news with #BarbaraBush
Mint
13-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
US Postal Service hikes stamp prices: Find out what it'll cost you to send a letter now
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has once again raised the cost of sending mail, increasing Forever Stamp prices to 78 cents as of Sunday, July 13. The 7.4 per cent hike is part of the agency's ongoing effort to attain financial stability, a justification USPS has used for several recent rate hikes. Under the new pricing, according to The Hill report, a Forever Stamp now costs 78 cents, up from 73 cents. Postcards, which cost 56 cents earlier, will now be priced at 61 cents. International postcards and letters have gone up to $1.70 from $1.65. According to the news outlet, the Forever Stamp remains a one-time purchase for customers to cover future first-class postage irrespective of future rate hikes. New stamp designs currently available include a SpongeBob SquarePants stamp, a 250th anniversary USPS edition, and one honoring former First Lady Barbara Bush. The USPS has made several cost adjustments in recent years, another WPRI report stated. The report added that the cost of Forever Stamps has steadily increased almost annually since it was 45 cents in 2012. Though there was no increase in Forever Stamp rates in 2015 and 2020, in 2023 and 2024, the USPS announced double hikes. The jump from 68 to 73 cents last summer marked the biggest single-year increase since 2019. The USPS decided against raising rates in January 2025, according to a multi-phase plan the agency proposed in September 2024 to implement five price increases for stamps through 2027, beginning this July and then every January and July, the WPRI report added. The USPS said these adjustments need to be made to fulfill the agency's 'legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient.' It remains uncertain if the long-term price strategy, coined during former President Joe Biden's term, will continue during the Trump administration. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump had suggested several changes for the USPS. Shortly thereafter, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy tendered his resignation. Despite the rising prices and uncertainty, the USPS insists that postage in America is a bargain. "USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world," the agency reiterated in a statement in April. A Forever Stamp now costs 78 cents, as of July 13, 2025. The agency says the hikes are part of efforts to meet its legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient. International letters and postcards now cost $1.70, up from $1.65. Yes, the USPS proposed additional increases every January and July through 2027.
The Hill
13-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Stamps just got more expensive: How much sending mail costs now
(NEXSTAR) — The United States Postal Service has, again, raised prices on first-class mail, marking just the latest cost increase in recent years. Back in April, the U.S. Postal Service requested a price increase in order to help it achieve financial stability — the same reasoning it has used for previous rate hikes. The increase, which took effect Sunday, marks a 7.4 percent bump on first-class mail stamps alone. Now, a Forever stamp — which includes new designs for 'Spongebob Squarepants,' the USPS's 250th anniversary, and former first lady Barbara Bush — will cost you 78 cents, up from the previous rate of 73 cents. If you prefer sending postcards, that will now cost you 61 cents a piece, up from 56 cents. Postcards and letters traveling internationally will cost $1.70, up from $1.65. 'USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world,' the agency said in April. While the USPS decided against raising prices in January, we've seen several cost increases in recent years. Since 2012, Forever stamps, which cost 45 cents back then, have gotten more expensive nearly every year. There were no price increases in 2015 and 2020, but there were two in 2023 and 2024, data from the USPS shows. Last summer, the price of a Forever stamp jumped from 68 cents to 73 cents, marking the largest increase since 2019. More price hikes could be on the horizon. Last September, the USPS proposed raising the price of stamps five times over the next three years, starting this July. Additional increases could happen every January and July through the end of 2027. At the time, the agency said these adjustments are necessary for it to meet its 'legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient.' It's unclear whether that plan, brought forth during President Joe Biden's administration, will remain in effect under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump said earlier this year that major adjustments could come to USPS. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned a month later. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Elton John: We've made great progress on HIV/AIDS. Budget cuts threaten to set us back.
Ryan White was a spirited, bright kid who loved basketball, Nintendo and dreaming big. In 1984, 13-year-old Ryan contracted HIV through a contaminated blood transfusion used to treat his hemophilia. With widespread misconceptions about HIV/AIDS dominating the headlines, and fear overruling facts, Ryan was barred from attending his school and driven from his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. His harrowing story suddenly thrust Ryan onto the national stage, where he transformed the attention into a powerful force for changing perceptions about those living with HIV/AIDS. He had no idea how far his message would reach. Yet he was determined to use it for the greater good. His courage inspired the creation of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which continues to help people across America, and around the world, stay safe and well. At the time of his diagnosis, doctors gave Ryan only six months to live. On April 8, 1990, six precious years later, we sat together at Ryan's bedside and held his hands as he lost his young, heroic life to AIDS. First lady Barbara Bush attended his funeral, and businessman Donald Trump came to the family home to pay his respects. When Americans needed to take compassionate action, Ryan opened the door and urged everyone to take heart and to help. Four months later, in his name, Congress nearly unanimously enacted the Ryan White CARE Act – providing essential HIV care and treatment to Americans living with the virus. After years of fearmongering and paralysis, the U.S. government had finally committed to join the fight against our common enemy: AIDS. Ryan would be grateful for the progress being made. Today, more than 500,000 Americans living with HIV get lifesaving treatment through the Ryan White CARE Act. Opinion: The CDC won't fund local organizations' HIV prevention, ignoring KY health needs In 2019, President Trump proudly launched the End the HIV Epidemic initiative in his State of the Union address − a focused prevention effort to end the HIV epidemic in America by 2030. This evidence-based strategic initiative has achieved remarkable results, reducing new HIV infections by 21% in targeted communities and connecting people newly diagnosed with HIV to vital care and support services. This push to end AIDS is in full swing across America, but the work is not done yet – with young people, particularly in the South, now most severely impacted. We are grateful that the draft budget before Congress continues critically important funding for the Ryan White CARE Act and the End the HIV Epidemic efforts. That is an affirmation of these programs' effectiveness and bipartisan support. However, the proposal also would end federal funding to states for HIV surveillance, testing and education; for community-based organizations that reach those most at risk; and for substance abuse treatment and mental health programs that are crucial for driving down HIV infections. Attempts to cut Medicaid are also alarming, as more than 40% of people living with HIV have their care and treatment covered by Medicaid. Without this essential insurance, scores of people living with HIV won't get the care and medicines they need to keep them healthy. The president has said don't mess with Medicaid. We agree. Your Turn: What readers told us about Medicaid | Opinion Forum Programs that provide treatment, fuel prevention and fight stigma should be expanded, not eliminated, as we work toward eradicating the disease that ended Ryan's life. The game-changing opportunity of the moment is to scale up prevention medication that keeps people HIV-free. The recent American-led development of PrEP − a pill or shot that prevents the virus from taking hold − is just the tool we need to end AIDS, but only if we make it accessible to those who need it. The economics are compelling: 14,000 people can receive generic PrEP ($30 annually) for the lifetime cost of treating one person with HIV ($420,285) − keeping Americans healthy, HIV-free and productive. The moment of truth is here. As the administration and Congress consider their investment priorities for next year, we urge them to continue joining forces in the fight against AIDS in the United States and worldwide. Together, their investments over time have created this once-in-a-generation opportunity to end AIDS in America by 2030, as called for by President Trump. Together they can seize that opportunity by banking on prevention. Ryan would expect nothing less. Jeanne White-Ginder is the mother of Ryan White. World-renowned musician Elton John established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elton John: US can end HIV, but Trump cuts threaten progress | Opinion
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Barbara Bush stamp is latest in USPS' presidential tradition of living history
Barbara Bush stamp is latest in USPS' presidential tradition of living history | Opinion The history of presidential stamps goes back to 1847 – as soon as Congress authorized US postage. Show Caption Hide Caption Alex Trebek honored with forever stamp The stamp will be released on July 22, on what would have been the iconic game show host's 84th birthday. Fox - Seattle A postage stamp is a small but mighty canvas, sealing history onto every envelope with a historic image, vibrant ink and adhesive. When these miniature tributes bring to our everyday lives the leaders who shaped America, they transform a routine act of mailing a letter into a celebration of the nation's past. This June, Barbara Bush joined an elite group of first ladies honored on U.S. postage. Her stamp, released for public sale June 10 in Kennebunkport, Maine ‒ her cherished summer haven and home to the Bush family compound ‒ marks what would have been her 100th birthday. Featuring her official White House portrait painted by Chas Fagan, the stamp reminds us of Mrs. Bush's legacy as a tireless advocate for literacy and family. At the May 8 White House ceremony revealing the design, first lady Melania Trump praised Barbara Bush, saying, 'Mrs. Bush's legacy is marked by her respect for tradition while also breaking with convention. While she is known for championing literacy, she also supported women's empowerment, changed the national conversation on AIDS and took a stance supporting gay rights." Who was the first president on US stamps? The tradition of presidential stamps began in 1847 as soon as Congress authorized U.S. postage. One of the first issues showcased George Washington, his image on a 10-cent stamp from Gilbert Stuart's iconic portrait. Washington reigns as the most depicted figure in U.S. stamp history, gracing over 300 issues. A rare 1922 green 3-cent Washington stamp recently sold for over $15,000. Our first president's allure continues to this day. And in 1902, Martha Washington became the first American woman on a U.S. stamp, featured on an 8-cent issue and later on an unusual 1½-cent denomination. Other first lady stamps followed, including Dolley Madison, Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford. Eleanor Roosevelt, like Barbara Bush, was honored on her 100th birthday with her global humanitarian work etched into postal history. Opinion: White House hospitality is a form of diplomacy that has evolved over time For some presidents, postal commemoration is especially befitting. Stamps were a lifelong passion of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who began collecting at age 8 ‒ a hobby sparked by his mother's own collection. Over his lifetime, he amassed 1.2 million stamps, finding solace in collecting during his recovery from polio and the crushing demands of leading America through the Great Depression and World War II. 'I owe my life to my hobbies ‒ especially stamp collecting,' FDR declared. As president, he sketched stamp designs and brainstormed with Postmaster General James A. Farley. In 1938, FDR championed the 'Presidential Series,' or 'Prexies,' featuring every deceased president to that time, from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge. A nationwide contest yielded the designs, with the winner earning $500 and making Elaine Rawlinson the first woman to have designed a U.S. stamp. FDR's legacy was swiftly honored with four stamps months after his 1945 death. Opinion: Their legacy extends across elections. Meet the people who run the White House. Stamp on our collective memory: Remembering US presidents through postage Tragedy elevates some tributes. A 5-cent stamp for John F. Kennedy, issued after his 1963 assassination, bears an eternal flame and his inaugural words: 'And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.' Printed in mournful black, it mirrors the somber design for Abraham Lincoln, another president felled by violence. Stamps and special 'first day of issue' postmarks meaningful to collectors and fans alike are often issued at sites connected to the honoree, like their presidential library. Richard Nixon's 1995 stamp was issued in Yorba Linda, California, site of his birthplace and library. George H.W. Bush was honored June 12, 2019, at his presidential library in College Station, Texas, a half-year after his state funeral burial. Today, every U.S. president is commemorated on a stamp within a year of passing. No living person is eligible; other people, including first ladies, can be honored on a stamp three years after death. No matter who the honoree or when, stamps are more than memorabilia. The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum calls them a 'looking glass' into the nation's leaders, citizens and landscapes. FDR believed stamps could broaden knowledge and enrich lives, a truth felt each time we press one to an envelope. From George and Martha Washington to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to George and Barbara Bush, these tiny portraits keep America's iconic leaders at our fingertips, their contributions to history forever stamped on our collective memory. Stewart D. McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, and is director of The People's House: A White House Experience multimedia educational center and museum.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
USPS unveils Barbara Bush commemorative Forever Stamp
KENNEBUNKPORT, ME (KFOR) – The Postal Service unveiled on Tuesday, a commemorative stamp honoring the life of Barbara Bush, wife of former President Geroge H.W. Bush. Postal Service leaders say, Mrs. Bush was known for her attention to family, and sharp wit that garnered deep admiration from her fellow Americans. The commemorative stamp ceremony was held at Ganny's Garden on the Green in Kennebunkport, ME with Doug Tulino, the Postal Service's acting postmaster general giving the following remarks: 'At this special occasion, we are reminded of the values Mrs. Bush embodied — values we at the U.S. Postal Service also hold dear,' said Tulino. 'She knew that each piece of mail is more than paper and postage. It was a bridge between one American and another — a personal connection with the public she served all her life.' The legacy of the Myriad in downtown Oklahoma City George W. Bush spoke on behalf of the Bush family saying: 'She knew family was vital to a happy life,' the former president said. 'She was a lover of books. It was really important to her because she knew if a child couldn't read.' Mrs. Bush died on April 17, 2018. USPS officials confirm, the stamp was designed by Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, using a detail from the official 2005 White House portrait by artist Chas Fagan. Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
