On the recordApril 24, 2012
very briefly, I thank Senator Brown from Massachusetts for his statement and his work on the bill. This point of order puts the whole bill in jeopardy. Right at the beginning of the debate and the vote, it forces Members to decide whether they want to deal with this crisis of the Postal Service. I think it tests Congress again--in this case the Senate. Are we going to face a real problem in one of the iconic areas of American public service, the Postal Service, which cannot continue to do business as it is now--and this bill will force it to change in ways that are significant but will still keep it alive--or are we going to turn away from the problem, which would be the effect of sustaining this point of order. It would also cut off the debate. We have 39 amendments pending. This bill may change as the debate goes on. The final vote on passage of the bill will require 60 votes. So don't cut it off now. Let's have this debate and prove to the American people that we can take on a problem and, on a bipartisan basis, fix it. I urge my colleagues to vote for the motion to waive the point of order. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.
