WASHINGTON – Today, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement regarding H.R. 2748, the Postal Reform Act of 2013, introduced by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.):
“The Postal Service, and many of us in Congress, have made it clear again and again that the path this American institution is currently on is not sustainable. The challenges our economy has faced in recent years – coupled with the continued migration to electronic forms of communication – is putting the future of the Postal Service in jeopardy, and it’s happening faster than anyone ever expected even just a few years ago. The hard truth is that our nation is likely closer than we have ever been to losing the Postal Service and the industries and millions of jobs that it supports. That’s why it is imperative that Congress and the President come together around a set of meaningful reforms to right-size, modernize, and reform the Postal Service. I welcome Chairman Issa’s decision to move forward with a bill to address this imminent threat to the Postal Service. I also appreciate Ranking Member Cummings’ constructive efforts to help save the Postal Service both in this Congress and in the 112th Congress. As chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, particularly Ranking Member Coburn, Postal Service leadership, and other stakeholders to build consensus around a package of reforms that can update the Postal Service’s network and business model to reflect the reality that it faces today. While we differ in our approach in some areas, Chairman Issa and I, and the rest of our colleagues, are united in our strong commitment to restore the Postal Service to solvency and give it the tools it needs to thrive in the years to come. I am committed to introducing a bipartisan postal reform bill in the Senate as soon as possible.”