8/1/2018 Yesterday, the Senate passed H.R. 6147, the Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, without considering Senate Amendment 3459. If enacted, the amendment would have prohibited the use of appropriated funds from undermining universal postal services or moving forward with efforts to privatize the Postal Service.
Last week, while the Senate was debating H.R. 6147, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed a “cloture motion” restricting debate on the bill and severely limiting the number of amendments that could be voted upon by the full Senate. The cloture motion was approved on Tuesday, July 31. Consequently, the only way Senate Amendment 3459 could be adopted was if included as part of the “managers’ amendment ” to H.R. 6147. The so-called managers’ amendment needed the acceptance of the the Senate leadership and pivotal members of the committees with jurisdiction over the substance of provisions in the amendment. In the case of Senate Amendment 3459, the approval of the leadership of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was essential. It is noteworthy that Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) serves on both the Appropriations Committee and is a subcommittee chair on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) chairs the full committee. Additionally, there appeared to be resistance by some GOP senators to preempt the release of the President Trump’s Task Force on the Postal System, which may advocate postal privatization.
The Heitkamp-Moran Amendment would have helped protect universal postal services and stalled efforts to privatize the Postal Service. The amendment was introduced by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and cosponsored by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tom Carper (D-DE), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The President’s postal task force is due to release its findings by August 10. In the meantime, UPMA is working with our allies in the Senate and House to secure legislative language to forestall privatization efforts.
Senator Heitkamp Criticizes Trump Administration’s Plan to Privatize USPS
Senators Carper, Moran, Heitkamp & McCaskill Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Stabilize & Improve Postal Service
And another postal bill gets pushed by the wayside. That’s odd. Never seems to happen. The only reason this bill was even created was due to postal unions throwing $ at certain congressmen. $ obviously well spent. Thanks unions. AGAIN
The Postal employees that only care about the big buyout show they only care about themselves. you will get yours, time wounds all heels. I think about a retired school employee that told my wife to save money and pay all bills on line, avoid paying postage. I told her that First class mail volume has dropped 26 percent and I could see management cutting our retirement in the future. She then said she didn’t care! I told her it will effect you because your husband was a carrier and your annuity could be cut. She said she didn’t care what happens! She then told me a few weeks later that I should vote for school tax issues to support teachers. I told her if you can’t care what happens to me then why should I help you? I now tell people to save money, vote no on schools! I told her I must do to you as you do to me! Do unto others as others do unto you.
Don’t expect any help from Congress. Would be surprised anything happens this year with the midterms.
it’s done put a fork in it. postal circus mismanaging bureaucrats ran it into the dirt, while postal company union got their fill. a pox on both their house. give us a 40K buyout so we can get the hell out of this dump!