Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman. Mr. President, we are going to resume debate today on the postal reform legislation our committee, on which the Presiding Officer serves, has worked very hard to produce and to do so in a bipartisan way. As Chairman Lieberman has indicated, last week, we labored very hard to produce a list of amendments that will allow Members to work their will on this legislation. There are many different viewpoints on the path forward for the Postal Service, but there can be no doubt about one fact: The Postal Service has lost more than $13 billion in the last 2 years. Despite being relieved from a payment that is required under law toward the health benefits of future retirees, it still lost billions of dollars. If we fail to act, if we turn down this bill, the Postal Service will not survive as we know it today, and that is a fact. The Postal Service, later this year, will have great difficulty even meeting its payroll if we do not act. The Postal Service will max out on its credit that it can borrow from the Treasury if we do not act. The Postal Service will be forced to resort to dramatic and Draconian service cuts that will drive still more customers from the system if we do not act. So just closing our eyes and pretending somehow the Postal Service will find a way through this, without our legislation, is not a realistic option.…”