The House has approved legislation that would shore up delivery gaps within the U.S. Postal Service, offering one of the largest overhauls of the service in almost two decades.
The bill, which passed 342-92 on Tuesday, would address employee benefits, as well as mail delays that worsened throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, New York Democrat, sponsored the bill with Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican. She called its passing “historic.”
“The American people asked for critical reforms to the Postal Service, and ranking member Comer and I delivered,” Ms. Maloney said. “I call on [Senate] Majority Leader [Charles E.] Schumer to bring this critical reform bill to the Senate floor for a vote as soon as possible.”
The bill would require eligible postal employees to enroll in Medicare and would nix a mandate that forced USPS to cover their health care costs in advance.
The proposed changes are expected to save the Postal Service almost $50 billion over the next decade.
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, said he plans to bring a vote on the bill before the end of next week.
President Biden has said he supports the bill, indicating that he would sign the legislation into law.
The USPS does not receive taxpayer funding, unlike other federal agencies.
The service receives its revenue from stamps and package deliveries and does not set its own prices like private services UPS and FedEx.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said this week that his agency was in a “dire financial situation” that has restricted it from updating its infrastructure and delivery services.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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