Tom Carper

One of the beauties about what they are doing in Illinois is putting a spotlight on it.

Let me jump in here, if I can. I apologize for missing your comments.

I spent quite a few years of my life as a naval flight officer back during the Vietnam War and then subsequent to that and during the Cold War.

It makes no sense. I do not want to come back and have to deal with that next year.

I think it is a proper role of government to provide for the common defense.

The other one that is just crying out to get done is cybersecurity.

The only way we are ever going to finish a postal bill is to get the bill on the floor, debate it, amend it, and vote on it.

We are going to have to figure out how to raise revenues.

Some people think we do not get much done around here. Just in the last 7 months, we have actually agreed on bipartisan legislation...

The time to act is now. Long on nouns, short on verbs. Let us get it done.

He has committed to bring cybersecurity legislation to the floor during the course of this work period, and it is imperative that we do that.

Where is the common ground? Where does it lie?

Thanks, Mr. Chairman.

I think you cannot manage what you cannot measure.

We need a bill. I cannot urge you more strongly to get a bill out this year.

I think that is important to keep in mind.

I want to note, as John has, that our bill has been reported in the Senate out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Thanks very much, Mr. Chairman. It is great to see you.

And I will say personally that I very much enjoyed working with your Postmaster General and your Deputy Postmaster General. They work hard.

There is a real interest on the part of a number of us in this body, Democrats and Republicans, to try to promote a nurturing environment for more of an entrepreneurial spirit.

I think the notion of having the Postal Service issue stamps with live people's pictures on them--would be a very bad idea.

It is not enough just to cut, cut, cut, we have to find ways to raise some revenues as well.

We added language with respect to arbitration. When there are contract negotiations between the bargaining units and the Postal Service, there is no requirement for the arbitrators to consider the financial condition of the Postal Service.

We need the best ideas from the Board of Governors. We need the best ideas from postal management, from the unions that represent the postal employees, from our colleagues, and from your customers across the country.

This was a bipartisan bill that passed with overwhelming support, 62 votes.