Government affairs

Following Memorial Day recess, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill from their respective states and districts to continue work on fiscal year 2020 appropriations, to send the $19.1 billion disaster relief bill to the White House where it was signed into law, and for the House to pass legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for the ‘Dreamers’ before it promptly died in the Senate following a statement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

House Activity

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) approved its fiscal year (FY) 2020 bill on Monday, preserving NALC’s long-standing language that 6-day and rural mail delivery continue at the 1983 levels. Additionally, the measure prohibits funding for both the President’s proposal to overhaul the Office of Personnel Management and the implementation of bad faith/anti-collective bargaining proposals many federal agencies are forcing on federal employees in recent months. Of relevance for the federal community, the bill contains a 3.1 percent federal pay raise for civilian employees in 2020 (does not apply to letter carriers). Read more here.

Senate Activity

Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99), which opposes the privatization of the U.S. Postal Service, hit a majority of bipartisan support on Tuesday. With 52 cosponsors plus its author Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the resolution sends a strong message of support for USPS, its network, and most importantly, its workforce. This is an excellent achievement, but worth noting that there are plenty of Senators who have not yet signed on. Check the link above to see if both of your Senators are on S. Res. 99, and if they are not, click here to find their phone number and ask for their support.

While you’re at it, give a ring to your Representative and ask him/her to support our other four priority resolutions listed below. To find your Member of Congress, click here.

Administration Activity

On Tuesday, the President announced his intent to nominate Ashley Poling to be a Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for the remainder of a six-year term expiring November 22, 2024. Ms. Poling currently serves as the Director of Governmental Affairs & Senior Counsel for Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) at U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) and would be a welcome addition to the PRC.

In other PRC-related news, Ann C. Fisher has been formally nominated to be a PRC Commissioner and awaits a hearing in HSGAC. Ms. Fisher currently serves as Public Affairs and Government Relations Director of the Postal Regulatory Commission.

NALC Priority Bills/Resolutions

H.R. 2382 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Co-sponsors: 96 (77 Democrats – 19 Republicans)

To repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits.

House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 206 (172 Democrats – 34 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.

House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 251 (214 Democrats – 37 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.

House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 254 (193 Democrats – 61 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.

House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 166 (144 Democrats – 22 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.

Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Sens. Gary Peters and Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Co-sponsors: 52 (42 Democrats – 8 Republicans – 2 Independents)
Expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.