As the political battle over the future of the United States Postal Service continues, many small business owners will be watching closely. The postal service is often used by small businesses that rely on it for their supply chains.

Just this week, Breanne Gilliam mailed out the first 17 packages for her new online beauty products business, called Lavish Beauty Essentials, in East Lansing, Michigan.

Gilliam said the Postal Service was cheaper than other options.

“Those other carriers would have been more than double what I’m getting at USPS,” she said.

In 2019, the Postal Service reported 70% of businesses with fewer than 10 employees used the service within the previous six months.

Gilliam said for her new business, “it’s really important that I have a reliable shipping service. Because I’m starting from scratch, I’m still trying to build a reputation.”

Businesses don’t only use the USPS to ship products. Josh Huisenga runs a design agency in Seattle. He mails drafts to clients and uses the Postal Service to pay vendors.

“We write a check, put a stamp on the envelope and we drop it in the mail,” he said.

That’s convenient, Huisenga said, because there’s a mailbox right near his office.

Correction (Aug. 18, 2020): A previous version of this story misspelled Breanne Gilliam’s name. The text has been corrected.