Congress passes bill to overhaul Postal Service and sends to Biden for signature
CBSDec 23, 2021
The Facts
The Senate voted 79-19 on Tues. to pass a $107 billion plan to overhaul the US Postal Service (USPS), the largest reform of the postal service in nearly two decades
The Postal Service Reform Act would ensure a six-day delivery week and lift unusual budget requirements that have contributed to the Postal Service's red ink, as the USPS has suffered 14 straight yrs of losses.
The Spin
Narrative A
This is the first step in providing long-overdue improvements and stability to the postal service. The bipartisan efforts finally address concerns that have been raised for years, and will increase the USPS' ability to choose where to invest money to support important services.
Narrative B
This is woefully insufficient. The Postal Service must understand its operations better and reduce its costs. The Act does nothing to improve mail service or sufficiently empower the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Democratic narrative
This Act is helping to heal wounds from a turbulent time in American history. Trump acknowledged he was trying to starve USPS of funds to make it harder to process mail-in ballots ahead of the 2020 elections. The Act's broad support from Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, and unions shows that a key institution of democracy is slowly recovering.
