2022: Schweikert Effectively Voted Against The Postal Service Reform Act Of 2022. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the "adoption of the rule (H Res 912) that would provide for House floor consideration of the Postal Service Reform Act (HR 3076)." The vote was on the adoption of the rule. The House adopted the rule by a vote of 221-211. [House Vote 36, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076; Congressional Actions, H.Res. 912]
2022: Schweikert Effectively Voted Against The Postal Service Reform Act Of 2022. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the "motion to order the previous question (thus ending debate and possibility of amendment) on the rule (H Res 912) that would provide for House floor consideration of the Postal Service Reform Act (HR 3076)." The vote was on a motion to order the previous question. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 221-205. [House Vote 35, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076; Congressional Actions, H.Res. 912]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Requiring The Postal Service To Establish A Plan To Address Inefficiencies In The Processing Of Flat Mailings. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "require the USPS to evaluate and develop a plan to address inefficiencies in the processing of flat mailings, which include large envelopes and magazines." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Establishing A Health Benefits Program For U.S.P.S. Employees And Their Families. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "require the Office of Personnel Management to establish a health benefits program for USPS employees and their families, separate from the existing program for federal employees." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Requiring The New Health Benefits Program Plans To Provide Medicare Part D Coverage And Enroll Future Postal Service Retirees In Medicare Part B. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "require plans under the new program to provide Medicare Part D coverage and require future USPS retirees to enroll in Medicare Part B." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
The Bill Restructured The Postal Service's Retired Employee Health Plans And Added Medicare Requirements, Which Would Save The Postal Service Over $50 Million Over 10 Years, According To Bill Supporters. According to Forbes, "The bill will restructure the investment USPS makes in retired employee health plans and add Medicare requirements, which combined are projected to save USPS more than $50 billion over 10 years, according to lawmakers behind the bill." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Bill Required Retired Postal Service Employees To Enroll In Medicare Once They Become Eligible. According to The New York Times, "To address the financial strain on the agency, the bill requires retired employees to enroll in Medicare when they are eligible and removes a mandate, first imposed by a 2006 law, that the agency cover its future health care costs decades in advance." [New York Times, 2/8/22]
The Postal Service Estimated That By Enrolling Employees In Medicare Along With Removing The Pre-Fund Mandate Would Save The Agency Approximately $50 Billion Over A Decade. According to The New York Times, "The Postal Service estimates that those two changes will save the agency about $50 billion over a decade, according to a fact sheet provided by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, whose leaders led efforts to draft the legislation. The committee said it would be the most significant overhaul of the agency in nearly two decades." [New York Times, 2/8/22]
The Bill Required The Postal Service To Enroll Future Retirees In Medicare And Pay Current Retiree's Healthcare Costs That Were Not Covered By Medicare. According to NPR, "Instead, the Postal Service would require future retirees to enroll in Medicare and would pay current retirees' actual health care costs that aren't covered by the federal health insurance program for older people." [NPR, 3/8/22]
The Bill Required The Postal Service To Enroll Future Retirees In Medicare, Which Would Add Minor Costs To Medicare But Save Taxpayers $1.5 Billion Over The Next Ten Years. According to The Washington Post, "It requires future postal retirees to enroll in Medicare, a move that would add minuscule costs to the public health-care system but would save taxpayers $1.5 billion over the next decade." [The Washington Post, 3/8/22]
The Congressional Budget Office Projected The Bill Would "Save Taxpayers Money By Buffeting Medicare's Prescription Drug Discounts." According to The Washington Post, "In fact, the Congressional Budget Office, Congress's nonpartisan bookkeeper, found the bill would save taxpayers money by buffeting Medicare's prescription drug discounts." [The Washington Post, 3/8/22]
The Bill's Opponents Claimed The Bill Would Shift The Costs To Medicare Without Improving Services Of The Postal Service Or Changing The Cost Structure. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Critics of the bill said that it would simply shift costs to Medicare while not significantly improving the post office's service or cost structure." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
Senator Rick Scott: The Bill Would Continue To Jeopardize Medicare Since The Costs Were Already Increasing. According to The Wall Street Journal, "While Republican supporters of the bill said that Postal Service employees had paid into Medicare and should be covered, Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) said that 'Medicare costs are already skyrocketing. Passing this bill would further jeopardize Medicare.'" [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
According To The Congressional Budget Office, The Bill Would Raise Medicare Spending By Approximately $5.5 Billion Over The Next Ten Years. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The measure would increase Medicare spending by about $5.5 billion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office estimated." [Congressional Quarterly, 3/9/22]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Providing $94 Million For FY 2022 To The Office Of Personnel Management, Social Security Administration And Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services To Enact The Transition Of The Health Benefits Plan, For Which U.S.P.S. Would Have To Repay. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "provide $94 million for fiscal 2022 for the Office of Personnel Management, Social Security Administration, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to carry out the transition, but require the Postal Service to repay the amount in the same fiscal year." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Codifying A Requirement That Mail Be Delivered At Least Six Days A Week. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "codify a requirement that mail be delivered at least six days a week." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
The Bill Mandated The Postal Service To Deliver Mail At Least Six Days A Week, So The Postal Service Would Not Be Able To Cut Service In The Future. According to Forbes, "The legislation mandates that USPS deliver mail six days a week, meaning it can't cut service in the future." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
By Mandating At Least Six Days Of Delivery Per Week, The Bill Strived To Protect Against A Conservative Tactic To Cut Services. According to The Wall Street Journal, "It also would permanently mandate six-day-a-week delivery, a policy that Congress has put into annual appropriations bills to protect against a conservative drive to force service cuts." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
The Bill Mandated The Postal Service To Deliver Packages And Mail "Across An Integrated Network," Which Big Shippers Warned Would Put Financial Pressure On The Postal Service And Lead To More Government Investment. According to The Wall Street Journal, "The bill requires the Postal Service to deliver packages as well as mail across an integrated network---a mandate that big shippers like FedEx Corp. warn will put financial pressure on the Postal Service and trigger a new round of government investment." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Permitting The Postal Service To Enter Into Agreements With Federal Agencies And State And Local Governments To Provide Non-Postal Services, Without Disrupting Regular Services, And Provide A Net Revenue. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "allow the USPS to enter into agreements with federal agencies and state and local governments to provide non-postal services that would improve those the services, not interfere with postal services, and provide a net revenue." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
The Bill Permitted The Postal Service To Partner With State And Local Governments To Provide Non-Postal Services, Which Could Include Hunting, Fishing And Drivers Licenses And Would Support Rural Newspapers. According to Forbes, "The bill also lets the USPS work with state and local governments to provide nonpostal services to Americans, which Maloney suggested could include things like obtaining hunting, fishing and drivers licenses. It would also help rural newspapers through reduced mailing fees." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
Provisions To Permit The Postal Service To Partner With Localities To Provide Non-Postal Services Did Not Include Progressive Measures Like Offering Banking Services Or Shifting To All-Electric Vehicles. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Under the legislation, the Postal Service would be able to strike agreements with local governments to provide services like offering fishing, hunting and drivers' licenses. It excludes measures long favored by progressives, like requiring the Postal Service to offer banking services or to shift to all-electric delivery vehicles from gas-powered vehicles." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
The Bill Promoted Local News By Requiring Special Mailing Rates For Local Newspapers. According to The Wall Street Journal, "And it mandates special mailing rates for local newspapers in order to promote local news." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
Supporters Of The Bill Hoped The Legislation Would Permit The Postal Service To Reform Its Package-Sorting Equipment Due To The Decline Of First-Class Mail And The Rise Of Package Delivery. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Its supporters anticipate that the bill will also allow the Postal Service to invest in package-sorting equipment to speed mail delivery and to restructure it for a world in which first-class mail will decline further while package delivery rises." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Requiring The Postal Service To Establish Annual Performance Targets, Maintain A Public And Interactive Web-Tool With Performance Information, And Provide The Postal Regulatory Commission With Yearly Information On Performance And Biennial Reports On Operations And Finances. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "also require the Postal Service to establish annual performance targets; maintain a public, interactive web-tool including performance information broken down by market-dominant products, geographic areas and time periods; and provide the Postal Regulatory Commission with annual information on performance targets and biannual reports on USPS operations and financial performance." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
The Bill Instructed The Postal Service To Establish An Online Platform With Weekly Updates On The Nationwide On-Time Delivery Rate, Which Would Increase Transparency And Allow Individuals To See How Delayed The Mail Is In Their Area. According to Forbes, "establishes an online dashboard with weekly updates on the on-time delivery rate for everywhere in the U.S., increasing transparency so that people can easily see if mail is delayed in their area and by how much." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Postal Reform Bill Moved In Congress After Five Months Since Postmaster General's 10-Year Plan For The Postal Service Was Enacted, Which Was Criticized By Democrats For Including Provisions That Slowed Some Mail. According to Forbes, "The USPS bill is moving forward five months after DeJoy's 10-year business plan for the agency went into effect, which includes measures that slows the delivery of some mail and have been heavily criticized by Democrats." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Bill Included A Provision That Supported Postmaster General DeJoy's Decision To Stop Transporting Mail By Airplane. According to Forbes, "This bill actually includes language that supports DeJoy's decision to stop transporting mail by airplane, which has made some mail delivery slower." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Bill Needed To Be In Par With Postmaster General DeJoy's Plan For Republicans To Support The Reform Bill. According to Forbes, "Passing the bill in concert with DeJoy's plan was necessary for Republicans to back it, Comer said during a House Rules Committee hearing Monday." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Bill Required The Postal Service To Publish Delivery Data So Customers Could Search Delivery Information With Their Location. According to The New York Times, "The measure also would require the agency to publish delivery data that customers could search using a street address, ZIP code or post office box, as well as mandating the agency maintain a delivery standard of at least six days a week." [New York Times, 2/8/22]
The Bill Expanded Special Rates For The Distribution Of Local Newspapers And Required Regular Congressional Reports Over The Postal Service's Finances. According to The New York Times, "The bill passed on Tuesday also would expand special rates for local newspaper distribution, and would also require regular reports to Congress about the agency's financial state." [New York Times, 2/8/22]
The Proposed Online Dashboard Would Be Searchable By ZIP Code And Would Show The Time Of Delivery For Letters And Packages In Order To Measure The Progress Of The Postal Service. According to NPR, "To measure the Postal Service's progress at improving its service, the bill would also require it to set up an online 'dashboard' that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages." [NPR, 3/8/22]
The Bill Required The Postal Service To Create Annual Performance Targets And Enact Other Measures To Improve Efficiency. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The bill would also require the Postal Service to establish annual performance targets and take other steps to improve its efficiency." [Congressional Quarterly, 3/9/22]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Repealing The Postal Service Requirement To Make Annual Payments To The Treasury Department, Which Were Used To Prefund Future Retirement Health Benefits For Current Employees. In February 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which in part would "repeal a current requirement that the U.S. Postal Service make annual payments to a Treasury Department fund to prefund future retirement health benefits for its current employees." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 342-92. The bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the President, and ultimately became law. [House Vote 38, 2/8/22; Congressional Quarterly, 2/8/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3076]
Since Its Establishment In 2006, The Requirement For The Postal Service To Prefund Retiree Health Benefits Has Been A Major Factor In The Agency's Revenue Losses. According to Forbes, "Congress has been trying for years to get rid of a regulation requiring USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits, which it first established in 2006 but has been a major contributor to the agency's years of financial issues." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Postal Service Lost $9.2 Billion In 2020 And $3.9 Billion In 2021, And The Agency's Losses Were Attributed To Various Factors, Including The Structure Of The Retirement Health Benefits For Postal Service Workers. According to Forbes, "$4.9 billion. That's how much money the USPS lost in 2021, the agency reported in November, though that's down from a net loss of $9.2 billion in 2020. The agency's financial issues are blamed on a variety of factors beyond how much mail is actually delivered---its present structure for retirement health benefits being chief among them." [Forbes, 3/8/22]
The Bill Removed A Mandate That Required The Postal Service To Cover The Future Healthcare Costs In Advance. According to The New York Times, "To address the financial strain on the agency, the bill requires retired employees to enroll in Medicare when they are eligible and removes a mandate, first imposed by a 2006 law, that the agency cover its future health care costs decades in advance." [New York Times, 2/8/22]
The Bill Removed The Mandate For The Postal Service To Invest Into Their Worker's Healthcare Benefits In Advance For 75 Years, Which Was An Obligation No Other Private Company Or Governmental Agency Had To Fulfill. According to NPR, "The bill would end a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers' health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years, an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face." [NPR, 3/8/22]
Due To A Decline In Revenue, The Postal Services Defaulted On The Pre-Fund Healthcare Payments Since 2011. According to The Washington Post, "The Postal Service has endured years of losses triggered by slumping mail volumes and a 2006 bill that required it to annually pre-fund retirees' health-care costs. Declines in mail revenue have forced the agency to default on those health-care payments since 2011." [The Washington Post, 3/8/22]
The Bill Removed $57 Billion In Overdue Postal Liabilities And Eliminated $50 Billion In Postal Service Payments Over The Next Decade. According to The Washington Post, "Tuesday's bill gives the agency a significant reprieve, removing $57 billion in past-due postal liabilities and eliminating $50 billion in payments over the next 10 years." [The Washington Post, 3/8/22]
Postmaster General DeJoy Requested The End Of The Pre-Fund Mandate And To Merge Retiree Health Plans With Medicare Within His 10-Year Plan To Reform The Postal Service And Circumvent Over $100 Billion In Losses. According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Postal Service had long asked Congress to integrate its retiree health plans with Medicare and rescind the requirement to prefund its employee retirement benefits decades out into the future. The moves are a key part of a 10-year plan by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to overhaul the agency's operations and avoid more than $100 billion in projected losses." [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/22]