Government affairs

Today, the House passed “Moving Forward Act” (H.R. 2), a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that invests in roads, rail, public transit, ports, aviation, energy and water.

Of particular note, the final bill included $25 billion for postal infrastructure modernization, including $6 billion to upgrade postal vehicles. The bill requires that 75 percent of the new fleet be electric or zero-emission vehicles. For medium/heavyweight vehicles, the electric/zero emissions requirement would be 50 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040. The bill would require the “Buy America Act” provisions with regards to vehicle procurement. The bill also would equip each postal facility with electric charging stations, at least one of which would be made available to the public, officers and employees of the Postal Service.

During House floor consideration, Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), offered an amendment to strip the infrastructure funding for the Postal Service. To streamline floor debate and the time House members are on the floor in close quarters, that amendment was lumped into a set of completely unrelated amendments and considered “en bloc” (all together). The other Republican-led amendments dealt with rail, eminent domain, the Bureau of Reclamation and state permitting of dredging.

The en bloc amendment failed overwhelmingly by a vote of 179-241. Ten Republicans joined the Democrats in opposing the package of amendments, including Reps. Carter (R-TX), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Kay Granger (R-TX), John Katko (R-NY), Peter King (R-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), John Rutherford (R-FL), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ).

NALC appreciates members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who recognize the need for any relief for the Postal Service, including the infrastructure relief that H.R. 2 would provide.

H.R. 2 is not expected to be considered by the Senate, which has already begun work on its infrastructure package.