U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and 17 other colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation to set the United States Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The bill strengthens transparency and accountability for Postal Service performance, eliminates unnecessary financial burdens, and helps ensure the Postal Service can better serve the American people. A bipartisan companion bill was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform last week.
“The United States Postal Service has been around for nearly 250 years and we must ensure it can survive for another 250. With these bipartisan reforms, we can help put the Postal Service on a path to self-sustaining financial viability that will secure six-day service, protect rural delivery, and ensure that all Americans have reliable, uninterrupted access to their mail.”
Senator Josh Hawley
The Postal Service Reform Act would eliminate the aggressive prefunding requirement that has hurt the Postal Service financially, and integrate postal worker retirees’ health care with Medicare. Together, these two reforms would create $45.9 billion in savings for the Postal Service over the next ten years. In addition, the bill would require the Postal Service to maintain its standard of delivering at least six days a week. The legislation would improve transparency of Postal Service operations to both customers and Congress by requiring the publication of easily accessible weekly service data on the Postal Service website, as well as issuing a detailed report to Congress every six months on Postal Service finances and operations. The bill also includes bipartisan provisions for Postal Service accountability and growth.
To see the full text of the Postal Service Reform Act, please click here.