WASHINGTON, DC – Last week the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act was signed into law through the collaborative efforts of U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representatives James Comer (R-KY) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
The law will set the United States Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing, support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country and make the first major reforms to the Postal Service in nearly 15 years.
“I am proud that our bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act has been signed into law. This historic piece of legislation, when coupled with the Postal Service’s transformative 10-year plan, will set the United States Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country, said Portman.
“Our legislation will make the first major reforms to the Postal Service in nearly 15 years, and will help continue to bind Americans together and ensure the delivery of vital medicines, business documents, and personal correspondence that we, as a nation, depend upon.”
“This historic, bipartisan law is a momentous achievement that shows when lawmakers put their differences aside and work together, we can deliver meaningful results for the American people. For nearly 250 years, the United States Postal Service has worked to deliver essential mail to businesses and households all across this nation, said Chairman Peters. “However, in recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents, and other critical mail. These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements, save the Postal Service billions of dollars to help prevent future cuts that harm service, and ensure this public institution is accountable and transparent to the American people.”
“The Postal Service Reform Act is the biggest bipartisan accomplishment this Congress and will strengthen USPS for the years to come. All Americans, whether they live in rural communities or big cities, rely on the Postal Service, so we all want this vital institution to continue delivering for the public,” said Comer. “The bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act, coupled with Postmaster General DeJoy’s reform plan, modernizes USPS to ensure it operates like a 21st century business that provides reliable service to the American people.”
“Today, Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration saved the Postal Service and delivered for the American people,” said Chairwoman Maloney. “I am proud to have negotiated this bill across party lines and to have worked hand-in-hand with Ranking Member Comer, Chairman Peters, and Ranking Member Portman. As Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, I vow to continue using my gavel to conduct rigorous oversight over the Postal Service to ensure it remains financially stable and continues to serve the American people for generations to come.”
The Postal Service Reform Act will provide key financial and operational reforms to the United States Postal Service.
The law will eliminate the onerous prefunding requirement that has hurt the Postal Service financially, and integrate postal worker retirees’ health care with Medicare. Together, these two reforms will create more than $49 billion in savings for the Postal Service over the next ten years.
In addition, the law will require the Postal Service to maintain its standard of delivering at least six days a week. The Postal Service Reform Act will improve transparency of Postal Service operations to both customers and Congress by requiring the publication of easily accessible local weekly service data on the Postal Service website, as well as regular and detailed reporting to Congress on Postal Service finances and operations. The law also includes additional provisions for Postal Service effectiveness, accountability and growth. In February 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Postal Service Reform Act with a bipartisan vote of 342-92 and in March 2022, the Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act with a bipartisan vote of 79-19.
