On the recordFebruary 8, 2022
As a senior member of the House and the Committee on Homeland Security, and as Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, and a member of the Equality Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. Passage of this legislation is urgently needed because USPS incurred its fourteenth consecutive net annual loss in 2020, and even if USPS continues to default on mandated payments, it would likely run out of cash to fund its operations prior to 2024. Madam Speaker, USPS funds the universal mail service it provides to nearly 159 million delivery points solely through the sale of postage. USPS adds one million new delivery points every year, even as mail volume continues to fall. This means USPS must deliver less and less mail to more and more places. In addition, several congressional mandates imposed when mail volume was at its peak put USPS on the road to insolvency. USPS is required to pre-fund the health care costs of its employees, regardless of whether they actually serve until retirement. USPS is also required to fund its pension liabilities at a much higher level than the rest of the federal government. To conserve cash, USPS has defaulted on retiree health care payments since 2012. That is why the key reforms in the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021 are so important.…
