Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives Debate O

Mr. Speaker, you will never hear me complain about having to come to washington to vote. After all, it is an honor to serve the people of this great nation and our constitutional obligation to be here present to vote on the issues facing america. So the question today, are the issues that need to be addressed in the United States Postal Service . There certainly are. We all know there are. After all the usps has been on the Government Accountabilitys highrisk list since the beginning of the Obamabiden Administration. The systematic issues are not nufmente they did not creep up in the last few weeks since the new postmaster has been in office. They have been here for a while. If we are trying to address issues, there is room for discussion. The late chairman Elijah Cummings and the how white house chief of staff mark meadows had a bill that had serious effort put into it. Tomorrow well have a hearing with the postmaster to discuss the build we are arguing today. The white house has offered 10 billion package, which the speaker has rejected. There are option it is we want to address the real issues. Todays not about a serious effort. Todays effort is yet another smokescreen. Another Conspiracy Theory forced on the American People to distract us from the real problems facing the American People. To distract from the speakers unwillingness to work with the white house to protect schools, hospitals, and Small Businesses. To small. P. E. To businesses. The heartbreaking violence and destruction in our cities and streets. The American People are tired of this. Tired of lurching from one manufactured crisis to another. Tired of leadership by fear mongering. Tired of this house preferring to campaign on issues rather than fix them. The bill offered today will not save the usps or provide for longterm sustainability. Todays effort is another attempt to mask the fact that this house under this leadership is doing very little for the American People. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Maloney it is now my pleasure to introduce another member of the committee on oversight and reform, the distinguished lady from florida, Debbie Wasserman schultz, congresswoman wasserman schultz, for two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Wasserman schultz thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. I rise to support the delivering for america act. To protect the pillar of our democracy and fortify a lifeline so Many Americans count on. This bill would provide urgently needed Postal Service funding and leaders. We know the motto neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. No one foresaw any american president would willingly crowbar our mail system to sway an election. The deliver for america act will safeguard our democracy from any president ial subversion. This legislation will also allow our mail carriers to do their job by ensuring overtime and proper equipment are available t will make sure intentional service delays are avoided so our seniors get their Social Security checks and prescriptions. It defends our veterans who reply on the postal system to deliver their medicine. My state, florida, just completed a primary where nearly 60 of the counted ballots arrived by mail. Savvy seniors and residents wanted the safety that only mailin balloting provided. This year our country saw half a million primary ballots rejected, and the main reason they get tossed is due to postal delays . These brave flinte workers are delivering goods amid a pandemic and its taken a toll on their work force. When a state like florida known for its razor thin president ial elections, we cant afford to have 59 sorting machines left on the sidelines. Blocking postal employees from overtime is not an option. Especially when it may hold up hundreds of ballots to decide the presidency. The delivering for america act helps defend our democracy from hypocrisy of a president who casts mail ballots himself one day then tries to meddle in our neighbors mailbox the next. Dont mess with the usps, pass this good bill. The speaker pro tempore members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities against the president. The gentlewoman from reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Comer mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to another great member of the Oversight Committee, the gentleman from ohio, mr. Gibbs. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Gibbs once again my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are pulling the wool over American Peoples eyes. We are here today not to debate or conduct Public Policy for the benefit of the nation, we are here so they can form a political theater. If you have any doubt about that, monday this coming monday, the Oversight Committee is having a hearing with the postmaster general about this same issue. We are voting first. Then we are having hearings . I think thats is backwards. My colleagues on the left are faking outrage over madeup crisis to score points during an election. The United States Postal Service is under no greater stress than it was before the coronavirus pandemic. And well before this election cycle. The facts have been laid out by experts, by independent journalists, regular citizens who do the job, the Mainstream Media refuses to do. Rather than find out and report whats really going on, we have Mainstream Media parroting Speaker Pelosis Conspiracy Theory. Here are the facts. The post office is solvent for most of 2021 and be able to operate in the 2020 election. They have 15 billion cash on hand. They have a 10 fwl line of credit they have not used. If every single american voted by mail this cycle, it would be as little as one quarter of the mail the post office handles daily. You have heard a lot about sorting machines. The first class mail has tapered off and packages volume has increased. Efficiency standards serve better. During the five year span of the Obama Administration 14,000 blue collection boxes were removed from the streets. Twice during election years the Obama Administration row posed funding cuts to the post office. Where was the outrage then . Relocating collection boxes where they are more useful is commonsense not conspiracy. Postmaster dejoy testified and come out publicly said they are not going to do any more cost cutting measures before the election. What the other side wants is universal mail voting not absentee voting. Universal mail voting would mail out ballots to anybody and who knows who it will be. They are sewing the sowing the seeds if the election doesnt go their way. You wont hear any of these facts the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Gibbs mr. Speaker, i ask for 30 additional seconds. Joip the gentleman virginia tech. Mr. Gibbs this bill provides the funding already there and creating and pedaling this Conspiracy Theory is irresponsible and reckless. At the time russia and china are meddling in our elections, we dont need help from congress pedaling fake news. This is one news that needs to be labeled return to the sender. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Maloney i now recognize the distinguished chair of the transportation and Infrastructure Committee from oregon. Congressman peter defazio, for two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Defazio see this mask . What does it stay . United states Postal Service. Not business. Service. For every american. No matter how remote they live they can get mail. They can get their prescriptions, they can have a Small Business in powers, oregon, pretty remote from everything and use the Postal Service. You cant have it bothwayings, guys, the Postal Service doesnt have a problem. Wait a minute. Dejoy is making these cuts because he says it has a revenue problem. Hes prohibited overtime because they have a revenue problem. They cant move their delivery vehicle more than four times on a route. Eightmile long route . You going to walk two miles each way . Guess what, mail is getting delayed across the country. The fact is, before a pandemic they were breaking even or making money if we did away with the stupid prefunding of 75 years of health care that was put in in the dark of the night by the bim in a lame duck congress. And 309 people in this house, including 87 republicans, voted for that in february, but it hasnt happened. You cant have it both ways. His is no the mail is being delayed. Miss lawrie she cares for a blind elderly veteran. I ordered the v. A. Refills for him. They were so late arriving we had to ration out his most important medication from two pills a day to one when the prescription arrived. Miss trudy, eugene, oregon, my husbands a vietnam war veteran. His meds are delivered by mail. I love my husband. I want him to get the meds. Last year the Postal Service delivered 125 million v. A. Prescriptions on time. But somehow with the efficiency measures and the cuts, which i guess they dont need to make but hes making because of the financial crisis, they cant deliver v. A. Meds on time. They cant deliver prescription drugs for seniors. And many other americans who are required by their Insurance Plan to get their meds through the mail with just in time deliverry, which isnt happening. You cannot deny those things. Why are they happening . How are you going to fix it . The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Defazio talk about how we are going the speaker pro tempore the entlemans time has expired. Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. The gentlewoman reserves. Gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Comer i yield two minutes to another great member of the oversight and reform committee, the gentleman from south carolina, mr. Norman. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Norman mr. Speaker, i rise today to apologize to the american taxpayers for this total sham of a process that the democrats and this leadership are trying to spread. Theyve got continue continue to have trump derangement syndrome. Here are the questions i would ask my democrat colleagues. If the democrats are so concerned, then why have we not had a hearing about the Postal Service issues since june 15 of 2019 . If the democrats are so concerned, why have we not had roundtheclock meetings to discuss a bill that we intend to fund the 25 billion which is being proposed . We have been out of session for 17 of the time since march 15. Why havent we been called back in to discuss . If you do the math on 25 billion, we have 70 days left. Thats roughly 325 million per day. You tell the american taxpayer where you are spending that money. You tell the american taxpayer how we are going to come up with it. You tell the american taxpayer this is like dropping money from a helicopter. If the democrats are so concerned about the, the post office, why are we having the vote today when the postmaster general is appearing at a hearing on monday . This is like determining the score of a Football Game then playing the game on monday. It makes no sense. They have no interest, the democrats have no interest in hearing the testimony of mr. Dejoy. The only thing they want to do is berate and not give the postmaster general the opportunity to answer. Just like they did attorney general barr, which was a disgrace to this country. The taxpayers deserve better. The democrats will have no discussion on the spying of the president since 2016. The democrats have no explanation of a failed mueller report. The democrats have no explanation for the impeachment of the president. The post office will fail as well. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Maloney mr. Chair, i would like to correct for the record that the committee on oversight and reform had a briefing on postal on april 9, 2020, right after the covid crisis struck us with the postmaster general. I now recognize another great member of the committee from illinois, congresswoman kelly. The speaker pro tempore for how much time . Mrs. Maloney two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. With my y i stand creeks shock and dismayed by the actions of this administration. Oversightst year, the committee has worked in a bipartisan fashion to modernize former al service with rep mark meadows leading the charge. Things over many the past 3 1 2 minutes, mail has become partisan. Pillar al service is a of our democracy. Its essential for providing ritical services, like lifesaving prescriptions, Social Security benefits, paychecks, ax returns, letters from military families, and absentee allots to millions of americans. The v. A. Delivers prescriptions to 80 of our veterans via the mail. Ridiculous onal and slowdown means vets are skipping empty hile checking boxes. While i was back home, one of my businesses told me they havent for 10 days. Another person told me they received mail every other day. Cannot go on, and we cannot trust the word of a postmaster is undwaquan find and unqualified and who and disrupts the upcoming elections. We must pass this bill so we can the United States post office to normal and ensure we have a safe election where counted. Is i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields. The gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Comer mr. Speaker, i have to comment on what the hairwoman said about the briefings. A briefing is not a committee hearing. No a briefing, theres notice requirements. Oftentimes, we in the beginning werent allowed to have there are no transcripts so there is a big difference between a briefing and committee hearing. Speaker, i yield two minutes to another member of the oversight and reform committee, the gentleman from keller. Ania, mr. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Keller thank you, mr. Speaker. The needday to discuss reformningful, longterm service. S. Postal in u. Sps has lost 78 billion the last 13 years. In 2009, the Government Accountability Office Published placing u. S. Ps on highrisk on the list. The financial state of the usps progressively worsened due to the declining mail volume, debt. Ities and proposals to give the usps 25 in cash without serious reforms will not address the that the l issues agency faces. The proposals before us today delay real reform and throw taxpayer dollars at a problem forward. Lear vision rather than politicizing the mail, we should be working to this the usps longevity through the comprehensive reforms. To fix a n trying problem by simply spending more taxpayer money, we should be reforms to equip our nations outstanding postal the tools they need and deserve to continue mail. Ring the this is the only way we will ensure that americans continue service e this vital without interruption. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Mrs. Maloney i now recognize the virgin islands, another outstanding member of the representative stacey plaskett. For two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. You, madam thank chair. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Today, we vote on a bill that attack on the u. S. Postal service. Y doing so, we are blocking an attack on an american institution, on our american way on democracy. To the unanimous request of the trump appointed board of governors for funding billion and restoring operations to january 1 levels, saving literally be lives. The necessity of this vote, the ecessity of this legislation operil to our democracy that this administration has put us in. Vote. Sinesses, our we will go further than just voting and we will have that hearing on monday on the versight committee, led by chairwoman maloney, to speak with the postmaster general to some of his, shall we say, creative decisions. E want to examine the operational and organizational changes at the Postal Service delivery resulted in delays across the country, including the delays of goods and services for small and families as well as critical medicines. N my district of the virgin islands, we are hostage to the u. S. Postal service. Big box drive to stores. Never mind medicines for our elders or our veterans. Of ill review the impact these changes on the rights of theirle americans to cast vote through the mail in the november elections. But we will also have a few for mr. Dejoy. Ns is mr. Dejoy thinking about that their who wont receive medication on time due to his policies . About the veteran who served our nation and cant get their prescriptions to heal . He considered rural americans who have to drive 20 iles to the nearest post office . Has he thought about any of these people, or is he, like the only concerned about his own selfinterests . I yield back. The peaker pro tempore gentlewoman reserves. Kentucky. Man from membe members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. Again, that ship has sailed. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to another valuable member of oversight and reform committee, the gentleman from north dakota, mr. Armstrong. The speaker pro tempore t