The House passed legislation with a bipartisan vote that will strengthen and protect the Postal Service from insolvency.
The vote was 342-90.
The legislation had strong bipartisan support in the House, and the companion bill in the Senate has a dozen Republican co-sponsors.
Before the vote, Speaker Pelosi said in a speech on the House floor, “This legislation would put the Postal Service on stronger financial footing while improving the reliability of its services, while protecting benefits for employees and retirees. The legislation makes bipartisan, common-sense provisions that will welcome all future postal retirees into Medicare, free U.S. Postal Service from the unnecessary requirement to prefund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance and – we call that a financial albatross – and improve USPS reliability with new transparency measures that will help ensure consistent, on-time mail delivery. ”
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There are two important components to this legislation. It will get rid of the requirement that the USPS has to prefund retirement benefits, and importantly, it blocks Postmaster General Louis DeJoy from gutting the Postal Service.
Until the Postal Service Board kicks DeJoy to the curb, Congress will have to step in and take action to stop him from destroying the Postal Service.
The bipartisan support in the House and Senate means that the legislation is likely to get through Congress and land on President Biden’s desk.
If this bill becomes law, the USPS will be stronger than it has been in decades because America elected a Democratic House, Senate, and President committed to undoing the damage caused by decades of destructive Republican policies.
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
