Congress Approves Legislation to Return the Postal Service to Solvency

WASHINGTON — Congress gave last approval on Tuesday to probably the most sprawling overhaul of the Postal Service in practically twenty years, sending President Biden laws meant to return the beleaguered company to solvency and deal with pandemic-era mail delays.

The Senate voted 79 to 19 to approve the measure, which handed the Home final month with overwhelming bipartisan assist. Mr. Biden was anticipated to signal the invoice, which the company’s management and an array of curiosity teams assist.

“With the legislative monetary reforms achieved immediately, mixed with our personal self-led operational reforms, we will self-fund our operations and proceed to ship to 161 million addresses six days per week for a lot of many years to come back,” Louis DeJoy, the postmaster normal, stated in a press release.

The Postal Service, arguably one of the beloved federal businesses, has been getting ready to insolvency for years, largely due to a 2006 regulation that requires the company to fund retiree well being care advantages for its staff prematurely. In 2020, a slowdown of mail supply and a collection of operational modifications earlier than the election prompted renewed scrutiny, and Congress doubled down on efforts to reform the company’s construction and deal with its monetary woes.

The laws removes the retirement mandate and as an alternative requires retired Postal Service staff to enroll in Medicare when they’re eligible, a change that lawmakers and company officers estimated would save $50 billion over a decade.

“The submit workplace often delivers for us, however immediately we’re going to ship for them,” stated Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the bulk chief. “For the previous few months, Democrats and Republicans have been working collectively in good religion to reform among the most troubled components of the Postal Service.”

The company confronted renewed scrutiny partly due to a collection of reported mail delays forward of the 2020 election, during which a document variety of votes have been forged by mail. That yr, Democrats sparred with Mr. DeJoy, a megadonor who supported former President Donald J. Trump, over a collection of cost-cutting measures, which have been later postponed till after the election.

“Our nation is fairly divided proper now, let’s be sincere,” Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio and a key sponsor of the invoice, stated in a latest ground speech. “However one enduring actuality about our nation is that now we have a submit workplace that ties us all collectively, and everyone depends upon that submit workplace.”

The laws additionally strikes to handle issues in regards to the company’s continued service, after Democrats pushed again when the Postal Service issued a 10-year strategic plan final yr that proposed lowering hours and lengthening supply instances. As an alternative, the measure that handed the Senate on Tuesday mandates a supply customary of a minimum of six days per week.

The invoice would additionally impose new transparency requirements for the company, requiring common stories to Congress in regards to the Postal Service’s monetary state and the publication of supply knowledge, which clients may search utilizing a road deal with, a ZIP code or a submit workplace field. It could additionally present for expanded particular charges for native newspaper distribution.

Some Republicans on Tuesday objected to the measure, calling it fiscally shortsighted and unsuccessfully pushing for last-minute modifications to the invoice.

“This invoice doesn’t cut back prices — it simply shifts them from one unfunded authorities program to a different unfunded authorities program,” stated Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida.

However a number of lawmakers hailed the bipartisan approval of the invoice as crucial assist for an company that gives an important lifeline to their states.

“There’s rising realization that the Postal Service is completely important for our nation — it’s the solely group that delivers to each single deal with in America,” Senator Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan and one of many lawmakers who helped spearhead the measure’s consideration within the Senate, stated earlier than its passage. “It’s really written into the U.S. Structure as one thing that helps hold the nation certain collectively.”