WASHINGTON, D.C. – The President has signed into law historic, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to 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. Chairman Peters joined President Biden at the White House for the bill signing. The new law – which passed the House with 342 votes and the Senate with 79 votes – makes the first major reforms to the Postal Service in more than 15 years.
“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. 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,” said Senator Peters. “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. I am grateful to my colleagues for helping me lead this legislation and securing significant support for these reforms on both sides of the aisle. Together, our efforts will ensure the Postal Service can continue to connect Michiganders and all Americans for years 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 would 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 legislation 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.
Peters has fought to protect the Postal Service and its nearly 250-year tradition of mail delivery. In 2020, Peters championed legislation to secure a $10 billion direct payment to the Postal Service to help recover from pandemic-related losses. He also conducted an investigation into operational changes at the Postal Service in 2020 that resulted in significant delays. Following Peters’ investigation, the Postal Service reversed many of these changes and service has significantly improved.
###