Government affairs

Congress found themselves back on Capitol Hill this week, returning to the same budget stalemate they left for the 4th of July district work period. While the House has passed 10 of its 12 fiscal-year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills, the Senate has yet to pass one, let alone mark one up. Both chambers are in session through July before heading back home for the traditional August recess.

House activity

NALC announced a ‘Call to Action’ this week urging letter carriers to contact their Representatives and ask that they cosponsor H.R. 2382 – the ‘USPS Fairness Act,’ which would repeal the burdensome mandate to pre-fund retiree health benefits. The bill currently sits at 164 cosponsors and NALC is urging all members to reach out to their lawmakers in order to reach a bipartisan majority of the House (218) to demonstrate that this issue is important and has the support needed to pass on the House floor. 

Budget season is in full swing and continued this week with the consideration and eventual passage of H.R. 2500, the $733 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes the FY20 appropriations sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities. With over 400 amendments, the House began Wednesday evening to go through more of the noncontroversial ones, adopting more than 100 by voice vote before calling it a night and continuing on Thursday. Among the amendments considered was Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s (D-NY) Federal Employee Paid Leave Act, which would provide 12 weeks of paid family leave to federal employees

Senate Activity

The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) scheduled a hearing to consider the nominations of Ashley Poling and Ann C. Fisher to be Commissioners at the Postal Regulatory Commission on July 16, 2019 at 10 am. Ms. Poling currently serves as the Director of Governmental Affairs & Senior Counsel for Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) at HSGAC and Ms. Fisher currently serves as PRC’s Public Affairs and Government Relations Director.

At the behest of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), not a single appropriations bill has been marked up in the chamber as of yet. Instead, the focus has been on finding agreement regarding discretionary spending caps and the debt ceiling. Following conversations earlier this week between Senate Republican leadership and the Administration, Senate Republicans will likely push for a two-year raise of caps and suspension of the debt ceiling instead of a one-year plan favored by the White House. Time may be running out for a bipartisan agreement with House Democrats as the Bipartisan Policy Center stated the Treasury could run out of borrowing room under the debt ceiling by early to mid-September.

Administration Activity

On Friday, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced his resignation from the position after increasing pressure and scrutiny from over the handling of sex crimes case against wealthy businessman and hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein when Acosta was a U.S. attorney for southern Florida. His resignation will take effect on July 19 at which point his deputy Patrick Pizzella will step in as acting head of the department.

NALC Priority Bills/Resolutions

H.R. 2382 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Co-sponsors: 167 (138 Democrats – 29 Republicans)

To repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits.

House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 229 (186 Democrats – 43 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.

House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 258 (219 Democrats – 39 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.

House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 265 (202 Democrats – 63 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.

House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 183 (161 Democrats – 22 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.

Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Sens. Gary Peters and Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Co-sponsors: 53 (43 Democrats – 8 Republicans – 2 Independents)
Expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.

H.R. 2478 – Fed Retirement Fairness Act
Status: Introduced Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-sponsors: 29 (19 Democrats – 10 Republicans)

To provide certain federal employees the opportunity to make catch-up retirement contributions for time spent as temporary employees after Dec. 31, 1988, thus making such time creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Now applies to temporary postal employees, such as letter carriers who spent time as casuals, TEs, and CCAs.

H.R. 2474/S. 1306 – PRO Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Co-sponsors: House 175 (All Democrats) – Senate 40 (39 Democrat, 1 Independent, 0 Republican)

To increase protections for workers’ right to organize and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions.