The House approved Tuesday’s bill that eliminates tens to billions of dollars in debt for the United States Postal Service. This debt, which agency leaders and advocates claim has been hindering the agency’s ability to operate efficiently for many years, was passed by Congress.
The legislation relieves the agency of$57 billion of its financial assets, caused largely by a requirement imposed in 2006The bill also provides for pre-payment of Medicare costs by the postal service for employees, decades before they retire. The bill also Get rid ofThis mandate will save the agency about $50 billion over the next 10 year.
Legislators claim that the bill will make a significant impact on the agency, which has been struggling with debts that have soared to over $200B in the past decade. USPS leaders are pleased to announce the bill’s transformation. been asking for a change for years, saying that the agency’s financial burdens are barring it from modernizing and making necessary overhauls to its services.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has saidThe Senate will consider the bill before week’s end.
The bill was passed bipartisanally, 342 to92. all Democrats voting yes. Democrats believe that the bill can revitalize the Postal Service which is essential for mailing ballots and medication.
“Today’s historic bipartisan vote brings us one step closer to finally putting the Postal Service on a sound financial footing so it can continue serving all Americans for years to come,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-New York), who introduced the bill, in a statement. “These reforms ensure the Postal Service continues as an independently operated organization that Americans can continue to rely on for the years to come.”
The bill contains transparency measuresMandating that the agency create an internet dashboard that allows customers access performance data. It also requires that the agency deliver mail and parcels at least six times per week.
Republicans voted in favor of the bill because they see it as a threat to their political beliefs. an endorsement ofLouis DeJoy, GOP Postmaster General, and his plans for the agency. DeJoy has integrated the bill into his 10-year plan of the Postal Service. Of widespread derisionIts efforts to slow down deliveries and raise prices. The plan was in effect since September last year.
“The Postal Service Reform Act is about the only thing we agree with Louis DeJoy on,” Porter McConnell, campaign director for Take on Wall Street and co-founder of the Save the Post Office Coalition, said in a statement. “Now it’s time for the Senate to pass the bill and send it to the president’s desk.”
The Democrats originally wanted additional provisions in their bill, such as electric vehicle funding and mail-in voter protections. They also wanted to limit the ability of the Postal Board or the Postmaster general to participate in political election activities. This has been scrutinized after reports revealed that. A number of board members are availableHave ties to the Republican Party establishment.
The bill was reduced in negotiations with Republicans, DeJoy and the postal unionsBecause reforms such as voting rights protections wouldn’t have received enough Republican support to pass the Senate, it was unlikely that they would.
Recent opposition from the Biden administration to the USPS’s plan to spend billions was received by it. on a gas-powered mail fleet despite the White House’s push to electrifyThe fleet will be used instead. The new plan would allow only 10% of the fleet to be electric. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has highlighted the dangers of mail trucks for the climate and local air quality, stated that they consume a lot of gas to operate.
DeJoy was also subject to a lengthy campaign to get rid of the agency. Critics point to his complicity in Donald Trump’s plan to invalidate the 2020 election. However, the Postal Board currently doesn’t have the votes to get rid of him, and two of Joe Biden’s Nominations for Democratic PartyAre you DeJoy’s replacement? still waiting to be confirmedby the Senate.
