Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:30 pm
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate has come together on a bill that would end the 15-year Republican sabotage of the US Postal Service.
According to a press release from Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-OR), “Reps. Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Tom Reed (NY-23), Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Colin Allred (TX-32) and Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) today announced reintroduction of the USPS Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to provide the United States Postal Service (USPS) much-needed financial relief by ending the agency’s burdensome prefunding mandate on future retiree health benefits.”
The purpose of the legislation, which passed the House last year with more than 300 votes is to end the mandate that the Postal Service must prefund retiree health benefits decades in advance. The insidious mandate was put in place in a 2006 law to bankrupt the Postal Service, and fulfill one of the Republican Party’s biggest privatization fantasies.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Rep. DeFazio said, “Americans depend on a reliable Postal Service. This is especially true for rural areas as well as veterans and seniors in my district, who count on six-day and door-to-door service for their mail, small businesses, and prescription medications. The unreasonable prefunding mandate has threatened the survival of the USPS and placed at risk vital services for the millions who rely on it. The prefunding mandate policy is based on the absurd notion of paying for the retirement funds of people who do not yet, and may not ever, work for the Postal Service. I’m hopeful that, under a Biden Administration, we can finally repeal this ludicrous policy, provide the USPS with critical financial relief, and take the first step towards much-needed comprehensive reform.â€
The legislation has bipartisan support in the House and Senate and does stand a good chance of passage.
Joe Biden is in the White House. Democrats control Congress, which means that it is time for decades-long Republican war on the Post Office to be brought to an end.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow and Like PoliticusUSA on Facebook
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
