Press Releases

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Postal Service Reform Act (H.R. 3076) with the support of Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01). This legislation will support the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and its workers by updating outdated institutional requirements and taking cost-saving measures that will strengthen mail service across the county. The bill would:

• Save USPS nearly $50B over the next ten years by enrolling future postal service retirees in Medicare. Roughly a quarter of Postal Service workers forgo enrolling in Medicare even though they are eligible and have paid into the program. The legislation also eliminates the burdensome requirement for USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits for all current and retired employees for 75 years in the future.

• Codify six-day mail delivery into law by requiring delivery of both mail and packages at least six days per week.

• Allow USPS to partner with state, local, and Tribal governments and federal agencies to provide non-commercial services, like passport applications, that will enhance USPS’ value while helping contribute to its institutional costs.

• Make USPS more transparent and accountable by creating an online dashboard of local, state, and national service performance data.

“The U.S. Postal Service is an essential institution, providing universal mail service to millions of households across the country. The current reality is that the USPS is not serving its workers and our communities as well as it should,” said DelBene. “This legislation will take critical steps to help improve mail service and address the solvency of USPS, allowing it to roll back proposed cost-cutting measures and systemic issues that are impacting our communities, like the proposed facility consolidation in Redmond and unreliable service across the region.”

You can read a summary of the Postal Service Reform Act here.