Janice Schakowsky: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act. The United States Postal Service is an essential part of American life. It was established more than 231 years ago and has delivered on its promise every one of those years. Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General in the United States. And they have--while I understand it is not an official slogan, I think we have all heard this: ``Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed mission.'' So we know that with more than 100 billion pieces of mail delivered each year, and a 90 percent approval rating, that we must do all that we can to support them. Today, Members of Congress are taking the important step to help support over seven million U.S. postal workers across the country. Since 2006, U.S. postal employees have been forced to prefund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance, making them the only government agency that must prefund future employees that have not been born yet. This ridiculous law has caused the U.S. Postal Service to lose billions of dollars each year and has caused postal employees' uncertainty in their work. This cannot continue. So I agree with over 300 of my colleagues that we must reverse this absurd policy.…”