Congressman Bradley Byrne, R-Alabama, voted against the Delivering for America Act, a bill that would provide $25 billion in emergency funding for the United States Postal Service to maintain its present level of service. It would also block a number of cost-cutting measures and reforms that the postmaster general is trying to implement.
Byrne released the following statement opposing what he called the House Democrats’ alarmist U.S. Postal Service bill designed to sow discord before the November election. Twenty-six Republicans voted in favor of the Delivering for America Act.
“Speaker Pelosi has reached a new low for political posturing in a Congress that will be forever known for Democrats’ total and complete focus on defeating Donald Trump, not solving problems for the American people,” Byrne said. “Today’s bill is in response to an imagined crisis that would undo changes at the Post Office that have already been undone and spend money the Post Office does not even need right now. Instead of going through the proper committee processes and actually making reforms to the bloated, antiquated Postal Service, Speaker Pelosi is throwing more taxpayer money at her allies and once again seeking to undermine President Trump. The American people deserve better than a House of Representatives that totally abdicates its responsibility to govern in order to seek more political power.”
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has plans for implementing a number of cost-cutting measures and reforms that he argues are necessary for the USPS moving forward. His reforms are opposed by the postal workers union. DeJoy has also agreed to postpone implementing his plan until after the Nov. 3 general election.
Conservative Republicans argue that the bill, HR8015, would prevent much-needed reforms from taking place and that there are already sufficient funds in the CARES Act for the USPS to keep current operations going into 2021. Supporters claim that the $25 billion in funding is needed to make sure that the postal service has the resources to handle an anticipated flood of mail-in voting for the Nov. 3 general election.
Congressman Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, also voted against the bill.
“The Democrats have invented this crisis to attack the President,” Palmer said. “The USPS has $14 billion in current funds which are sufficient to maintain operations well into next year. The CARES Act also included $10 billion that is available should the USPS need additional funds. Together that amounts to $24 billion that is immediately available to the USPS. Yet, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have created a conspiratorial crisis out of thin air and are demanding American taxpayers fork over another $25 billion. This is a farce, another attempt to dupe Americans with an election hoax, only this time, instead of Russia, it is the USPS.”
Byrne represents Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. He is not seeking re-election.
