MONROE – Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) has secured support from 129 Members of the U.S. House and Senate urging the U.S. Postal Service to approve North Carolina Navy veteran Garland Denny’s proposal for a “Stamp Out PTSD” semipostal stamp.
In their joint letter to U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan, written by Congressman Pittenger, the bipartisan coalition states:
“As Senators and Members of Congress, we applaud the United States Postal Service’s recent rule change to allow for the production of new semipostal stamps, and fully support the semipostal stamp submission of Charles Denny, the StampOut PTSD stamp.
“The men and women who serve in our military sacrifice much in the cause to protect the United States and stand for the liberties which are the foundation of our nation. We should honor their sacrifice through a national showing of support, and through utilizing this alternative funding mechanism to increase treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD.
“Mr. Garland Denny, a veteran himself, worked tirelessly for nearly a decade in an effort to support increased care for veterans before passing away last year. With his son Charles carrying the torch for his father, we urge the USPS to select the StampOut PTSD stamp as the first semipostal stamp under the new discretionary program.”
Under Mr. Denny’s proposal, the “Stamp Out PTSD” semipostal stamp would raise money for PTSD research and treatment. Similar to the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, the semipostal stamp would sell for more than the cost of first-class postage.
Congress gave USPS full authority to create additional semipostal stamps in 2005, but it took a June 2015 letter from Congressman Pittenger and 55 Members of the House and Senate to get USPS to begin work on revised rules.
Congressman Pittenger began working with Mr. Denny after taking office in 2013, including arranging meetings with the White House and the U.S. Postal Service to discuss the proposal. Congressman Pittenger and his staff are now working with Chuck Denny, who took up his father’s mission, to submit an updated proposal based on recently revised USPS rules for semipostal stamps.
The joint letter from 129 Members of Congress will be included in the formal application.
In addition to Congressman Robert Pittenger (R-NC), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), the bipartisan letter was co-signed by United States Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Walter Jones (R-NC), Beto O’Rourke (DTX), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), John Delaney (D-MD), Daniel Kildee (DMI), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA), David Joyce (R-OH), Jeff Denham (RCA), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Garret Graves (R-LA), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Austin Scott (RGA), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Frank Guinta (R-NH), David Young (R-IA), Rodney Davis (RIL), Stephen Fincher (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), Bruce Poliquin (R-ME), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Al Green (DTX), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Bill Johnson (R-OH), John Shimkus (RIL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), David B. McKinley (R-WV), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Susan W. Brooks (R-IN), Will B. Hurd (R-TX), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Tom Rice (R-SC), Pete Olson (R-TX), Chris P. Gibson (R-NY), Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Peter T. King (R-NY), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Dave Brat (RVA), George Holding (R-NC), Raul R. Labrador (R-ID), David Scott (D-GA), Darrell Issa (RCA), Steve Stivers (R-OH), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Steve Knight (R-CA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Diane Black (R-TN), Andre Carson (D-IN), David Rouzer (R-NC), French Hill (R-AR), Dan Benishek (R-MI), Mike Conaway (R-TX), Earl L. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Todd Rokita (R-IN), Mike Rogers (R-AL), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Ralph Abraham (R-LA), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), David Valadao (R-CA), Paul Cooks (RCA), Bill Flores (R-TX), David N. Cicilline (D-RI), Hank Johnson (D-GA), John Katko (R-NY), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Steve Pearce (R-NM), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), William R. Keating (D-MA), Brad Ashford (D-NE), Mike Honda (D-CA), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Bradley Byrne (R-AL), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rob Blum (R-IA), Alma Adams (D-NC), Sam Graves (R-MO), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), John Moolenaar (RMI), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), John Shimkus (R-IL), Rob Woodall (RGA), Kay Granger (R-TX), Mike Bost (R-IL), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Scott Tipton (R-CO), Janice Hahn (D-CA), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), John Fleming (R-LA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA)Roger Williams (R-TX), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), John Mica (R-FL), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Linda T. Sanchez (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Kristi Noem (R-SD).
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) also publicly support Mr. Denny’s “Stamp Out PTSD” application.
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