SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A postal worker gives a thumbs-up to demonstrators protesting the Trump administration's sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service on August 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images for MoveOn)
'Signed. Sealed. Delivered.' Senate Sends USPS Reform Bill to Biden's Desk
"This long-overdue legislation will strengthen the Postal Service so it can better serve the American people."
Mar 08, 2022
Postal reform advocates on Tuesday welcomed the U.S. Senate's passage of House-approved bipartisan legislation that was held up last month by GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
A day after overcoming a filibuster, the Postal Service Reform Act passed the evenly split Senate in a 79-19 vote, with several Republicans joining Democrats to send the bill to President Joe Biden's desk.
"Every day tens of millions of Americans rely on the post office for their daily essentials--seniors and veterans, small business owners, small-town rural Americans, people waiting for wedding invitations, birthday cards, letters--so we know that the Postal Service is really beloved," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a press conference after the vote.
The U.S. Postal Service is "an important institution in American life" and was long in need of a revamp, he added, calling the bill's passage a win for bipartisanship, postal workers, and the public.
"Every day the Postal Service faithfully delivers for the American people and today the Senate is finally delivering for the post office," declared Schumer, flanked by Democratic and Republican colleagues.
\u201cSIGNED. SEALED. DELIVERED.\n\nThe Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act! \ud83d\udcec\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1646781871
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) president Fredric Rolando said in a statement that "this is a monumental victory for letter carriers and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for affordable and high-quality universal service."
"I want to congratulate and thank all the NALC members who lobbied their members of Congress to win passage in the Senate and the House," he added. "Thanks to your support, dedication, and action, bipartisan postal reform, that was 12 years in the making, has finally passed in both chambers."
The $107 billion compromise package, which the House advanced with a 342-92 vote in February, will make future Postal Service retirees enroll in Medicare--ending a costly mandate forcing the USPS to prefund health benefits--and require the creation of a new online mail tracking system.
\u201cBREAKING: WE WON! \n\nAfter a campaign by the APWU & allied unions, the U.S. Senate has passed the Postal Service Reform Act, ending the disastrous 75-year pre-funding mandate which has been artificially bankrupting the Postal Service for decades.\n\nhttps://t.co/6SFWHW6LL8\u201d— The American Postal Workers Union - APWU (@The American Postal Workers Union - APWU) 1646782006
"This long-overdue legislation will strengthen the Postal Service so it can better serve the American people," tweeted Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
The bill was even supported by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, an appointee of former President Donald Trump who has faced multiple scandals.
The Senate vote comes as DeJoy is under fire for a USPS plan to buy gas-powered delivery trucks in spite of President Joe Biden's proposed transition to zero-emission government vehicles.
\u201cWe need your voice! The new @USPS postal truck gets worse mileage than the 1988 model when new. Way back when Beetlejuice and Rambo III were in theaters. Help us tell Postmaster General DeJoy to hit reverse on this disastrous plan #FutureIsElectric https://t.co/9n2GUbgjMw\u201d— Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) 1646776800
"DeJoy's environmental review is rickety, founded on suspect calculations, and fails to meet the standards of the law," said Earthjustice senior attorney Adrian Martinez last month. "We're not done fighting this reckless decision."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Postal reform advocates on Tuesday welcomed the U.S. Senate's passage of House-approved bipartisan legislation that was held up last month by GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
A day after overcoming a filibuster, the Postal Service Reform Act passed the evenly split Senate in a 79-19 vote, with several Republicans joining Democrats to send the bill to President Joe Biden's desk.
"Every day tens of millions of Americans rely on the post office for their daily essentials--seniors and veterans, small business owners, small-town rural Americans, people waiting for wedding invitations, birthday cards, letters--so we know that the Postal Service is really beloved," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a press conference after the vote.
The U.S. Postal Service is "an important institution in American life" and was long in need of a revamp, he added, calling the bill's passage a win for bipartisanship, postal workers, and the public.
"Every day the Postal Service faithfully delivers for the American people and today the Senate is finally delivering for the post office," declared Schumer, flanked by Democratic and Republican colleagues.
\u201cSIGNED. SEALED. DELIVERED.\n\nThe Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act! \ud83d\udcec\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1646781871
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) president Fredric Rolando said in a statement that "this is a monumental victory for letter carriers and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for affordable and high-quality universal service."
"I want to congratulate and thank all the NALC members who lobbied their members of Congress to win passage in the Senate and the House," he added. "Thanks to your support, dedication, and action, bipartisan postal reform, that was 12 years in the making, has finally passed in both chambers."
The $107 billion compromise package, which the House advanced with a 342-92 vote in February, will make future Postal Service retirees enroll in Medicare--ending a costly mandate forcing the USPS to prefund health benefits--and require the creation of a new online mail tracking system.
\u201cBREAKING: WE WON! \n\nAfter a campaign by the APWU & allied unions, the U.S. Senate has passed the Postal Service Reform Act, ending the disastrous 75-year pre-funding mandate which has been artificially bankrupting the Postal Service for decades.\n\nhttps://t.co/6SFWHW6LL8\u201d— The American Postal Workers Union - APWU (@The American Postal Workers Union - APWU) 1646782006
"This long-overdue legislation will strengthen the Postal Service so it can better serve the American people," tweeted Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
The bill was even supported by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, an appointee of former President Donald Trump who has faced multiple scandals.
The Senate vote comes as DeJoy is under fire for a USPS plan to buy gas-powered delivery trucks in spite of President Joe Biden's proposed transition to zero-emission government vehicles.
\u201cWe need your voice! The new @USPS postal truck gets worse mileage than the 1988 model when new. Way back when Beetlejuice and Rambo III were in theaters. Help us tell Postmaster General DeJoy to hit reverse on this disastrous plan #FutureIsElectric https://t.co/9n2GUbgjMw\u201d— Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) 1646776800
"DeJoy's environmental review is rickety, founded on suspect calculations, and fails to meet the standards of the law," said Earthjustice senior attorney Adrian Martinez last month. "We're not done fighting this reckless decision."
From Your Site Articles
Postal reform advocates on Tuesday welcomed the U.S. Senate's passage of House-approved bipartisan legislation that was held up last month by GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
A day after overcoming a filibuster, the Postal Service Reform Act passed the evenly split Senate in a 79-19 vote, with several Republicans joining Democrats to send the bill to President Joe Biden's desk.
"Every day tens of millions of Americans rely on the post office for their daily essentials--seniors and veterans, small business owners, small-town rural Americans, people waiting for wedding invitations, birthday cards, letters--so we know that the Postal Service is really beloved," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a press conference after the vote.
The U.S. Postal Service is "an important institution in American life" and was long in need of a revamp, he added, calling the bill's passage a win for bipartisanship, postal workers, and the public.
"Every day the Postal Service faithfully delivers for the American people and today the Senate is finally delivering for the post office," declared Schumer, flanked by Democratic and Republican colleagues.
\u201cSIGNED. SEALED. DELIVERED.\n\nThe Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act! \ud83d\udcec\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1646781871
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) president Fredric Rolando said in a statement that "this is a monumental victory for letter carriers and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for affordable and high-quality universal service."
"I want to congratulate and thank all the NALC members who lobbied their members of Congress to win passage in the Senate and the House," he added. "Thanks to your support, dedication, and action, bipartisan postal reform, that was 12 years in the making, has finally passed in both chambers."
The $107 billion compromise package, which the House advanced with a 342-92 vote in February, will make future Postal Service retirees enroll in Medicare--ending a costly mandate forcing the USPS to prefund health benefits--and require the creation of a new online mail tracking system.
\u201cBREAKING: WE WON! \n\nAfter a campaign by the APWU & allied unions, the U.S. Senate has passed the Postal Service Reform Act, ending the disastrous 75-year pre-funding mandate which has been artificially bankrupting the Postal Service for decades.\n\nhttps://t.co/6SFWHW6LL8\u201d— The American Postal Workers Union - APWU (@The American Postal Workers Union - APWU) 1646782006
"This long-overdue legislation will strengthen the Postal Service so it can better serve the American people," tweeted Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
The bill was even supported by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, an appointee of former President Donald Trump who has faced multiple scandals.
The Senate vote comes as DeJoy is under fire for a USPS plan to buy gas-powered delivery trucks in spite of President Joe Biden's proposed transition to zero-emission government vehicles.
\u201cWe need your voice! The new @USPS postal truck gets worse mileage than the 1988 model when new. Way back when Beetlejuice and Rambo III were in theaters. Help us tell Postmaster General DeJoy to hit reverse on this disastrous plan #FutureIsElectric https://t.co/9n2GUbgjMw\u201d— Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) 1646776800
"DeJoy's environmental review is rickety, founded on suspect calculations, and fails to meet the standards of the law," said Earthjustice senior attorney Adrian Martinez last month. "We're not done fighting this reckless decision."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.