USPS Says It Opposes Senate Reform Bill
The U.S. Postal Service said today that it opposes passage of S-662, the postal reform bill authored by Sens. Susan M. Collins (R-ME) and Thomas Carper (D-DE).
In a letter to Collins, signed by Postmaster General John E. Potter and several other governors and officials, the USPS said it “believes there are critical elements missing from this bill, as well as numerous burdensome provisions that would make it extremely difficult for the Postal Service to function in am order, competitive environment.”
The letter also cited “serious discrepancies between the bill’s provisions and recommendations of the President’s Commission (on postal reform).” The USPS noted that the legislation would lift the burden of military retirement expenses from the USPS and returns it to the U.S. Treasury, but added that it conflicts with Bush Administration policy and “invites a Presidential veto.”
The Senate Government Affairs and Homeland Security Committee voted 15-1 late last year to bring the bill to the full Senate. (Direct Newsline, Dec. 1, 2005).
The letter was signed by Chairman James C. Miller III, Vice Chairman Alan C. Kessler and Governors Carolyn Lewis Gallagher, John S. Gardner and Louis J. Giuliano.