Government affairs

Two Senate seats previously held by Republicans Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) will change hands in the 117^th Congress. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) have defeated the two incumbent senators bringing the makeup of the United States Senate to 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans.

Warnock, 51, who is most well-known as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, will be the first black Senator from Georgia. In his completed candidate questionnaire, Warnock emphasized his strong commitment to supporting a letter carrier agenda, including collective bargaining rights, maintaining services, utilization of the Postal Service network and numerous issues on the health and retirement benefits of letter carriers.

“I can't think of many things more American than the Postal Service,” Warnock said. “We all count on it. Seniors count on it to receive their medicine and others, not just seniors, but people who need their medicine. It is part of the necessary connectivity for business and enterprise and that it would be sabotaged for political reasons, it's just beyond belief. We need to strengthen the Postal Service so that our country can be strong, and businesses can thrive.”

Ossoff, 33, will become the youngest member of the Senate in the 117th. He is the former CEO of an investigative media company and previously ran for the House of Representatives in 2017 against Karen Handel (R-GA). Ossoff also has demonstrated a commitment to letter carriers when he takes office.

“I will ALWAYS defend the Postal Service from efforts to destroy this vital national institution,” said Ossoff in his questionnaire. “I will fight for expanded service and I am an advocate for postal banking. I deeply appreciate the men and women of the U.S. Postal Service and their commitment to providing this critical public service day in and day out. I’ve been extremely concerned over the last few months by partisan attacks on the USPS and our hardworking letter carriers, who are currently caught in the middle of a political battle that leaves them without the resources they need to do their jobs. We need to do better and in the U.S. Senate I will be a staunch advocate for the necessary support that matches the hard work and dedication we see from postal workers across America every day.”

With the United States Senate now split 50-50, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will become the deciding vote on matters where a tie-breaking vote is needed. Senate Democratic control also means that the House, Senate and White House will be largely under Democratic control, by extremely narrow margins making bipartisan work very important in order to advance a letter carrier agenda.

“While we have seen obstruction by Senate Republican leadership and the White House in recent years, given the narrow margins of control, it is imperative that letter carriers continue to build bridges with all members of Congress,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “With recent public and congressional interest in a strong Postal Service, we are set up for success, but we must remain focused on advancing policies and initiatives to strengthen the network and protect letter carriers. Time to get to work.”