On the recordFebruary 8, 2022
And I thank my House colleagues for their heartfelt remarks today. Madam Speaker, America's most esteemed institution, the United States Postal Service, is in trouble. Since the 1970s legislative reform, Congress has expected the Postal Service to operate as an independent and self-sufficient organization. However, for years, the Postal Service has spent far more than it has brought in, and last year alone lost over $9 billion. Many of these challenges are beyond the control of prior Postal Service leadership. The U.S. Congress has legally obligated the Postal Service to provide universal mail service delivery. Today, that means delivery to over 160 million addresses. This is a massive and expensive undertaking that cannot be glossed over. Additionally, as our Nation's population and economy continues to grow, so will the Postal Service's ever-increasing expenses. H.R. 3076 does not change this universal service obligation, but we risk having that difficult national conversation if we do nothing. The price for inaction is a Postal Service that will eventually require drastic service reductions, especially in rural, remote parts of America, or continual taxpayer-funded bailouts, which no conservative and no taxpayer should want. Neither are desirable options.…
