Padilla, Peters, Portman, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Stabilize USPS and Promote Long-Term Sustainable Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), joined HSGAC Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and HSGAC Ranking Member Rob Portman (R-Ohio), in introducing bipartisan legislation to set the United States Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The bill strengthens transparency and accountability for Postal Service performance, eliminates unnecessary financial burdens, and helps ensure the Postal Service can better serve the American people.
California has one of the highest employment levels of Postal Service Mail Carriers, who will benefit from a strengthened institution.
“The Postal Service is essential to our democracy, economy, and health care system,” Senator Padilla said. “For years, the Postal Service has been saddled with misguided financial requirements. Eliminating these burdens will allow us to invest in the long-term strength and stability of the Postal Service. Millions of Americans and businesses rely on the Postal Service to deliver our medicine, ballots, and retail goods—securely and on time. The Postal Service deserves our full support.”
“Millions of Americans and Michiganders, including seniors, veterans, and small business owners, rely on the Postal Service to deliver. For decades, the Postal Service has struggled to overcome unfair and burdensome financial requirements that risk its ability to continue providing reliable service in the long run,” said Chairman Peters. “This commonsense, bipartisan legislation would help put the Postal Service on a sustainable financial footing, ensure it is more transparent and accountable to the American people, and support hardworking postal workers who deliver rain or shine to communities all across the country. I am proud to lead this bipartisan effort in the Senate and stand ready to work with my colleagues to move this bill through Congress.”
“While its role in American life has changed over the years, the United States Postal Service remains a key part of American life, serving Americans through its delivery of vital medicines, important packages, and other mail,” said Ranking Member Portman. “For that reason, I am proud to join Senator Peters in introducing the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021, which will, when coupled with the Postal Service’s transformative 10-year plan, help turn around the substantial losses at the Postal Service over the last decade and ensure self-sustaining, high-quality postal service for all Americans.”
The Postal Service Reform Act would eliminate the unprecedented retirement benefit prefunding requirement that has hurt the Postal Service financially, and integrate postal worker retirees’ health care with Medicare. Together, these two reforms would save the Postal Service $45.9 billion over the next ten years. In addition, the bill would require the Postal Service to maintain its current standard of delivering mail at least six days a week. The legislation would improve transparency of Postal Service operations to both customers and Congress by requiring the publication of easily accessible weekly service data on the Postal Service website, as well as issuing a detailed report to Congress every six months on Postal Service finances and operations. The bill also includes bipartisan provisions for Postal Service accountability and growth.
In addition to Padilla, Peters, and Portman, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined in introducing the bill as original. A bipartisan companion bill was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform last week.
To see the full text of the Postal Service Reform Act, please click here.
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