House Subcommittee to Hold Markup of Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act Wednesday

Bill Would Create $10.7 Billion in Annual Savings to Save the Postal Service without a Taxpayer Bailout

WASHINGTON– Today, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., announced they would move forward H.R. 2309, the Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act of 2011, at a subcommittee business meeting Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Subcommittee Chairman Ross will introduce an amendment to H.R. 2309 that includes additional savings measures bringing the total mandatory minimum annual savings in the bill to $10.7 billion dollars- more than this year’s record setting $10 billion projected loss for the Postal Service.

“The $10.7 billion annual savings in the Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act is the clear alternative to other proposals that put taxpayers on the hook for a multi-billion dollar bailout,” said Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “Passing this legislation will move the Postal Service’s costs in-line with its declining revenues to create a financially viable and self-sustaining Postal Service.”

Ross, chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the postal service, agreed. “The Postal Service’s financial situation is rapidly deteriorating, with its projected loss now at $10 billion for this year. We need to act on comprehensive reform, like the Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act, now. We cannot afford to waste time with proposals that use a multi-billion dollar taxpayer bailout to put off real reform,” said Ross.

The Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act as amended will bring the following minimum, mandatory savings to the Postal Service:

Five Day Delivery:  $2.5 billion/year

Curb and Cluster-box Delivery:  $3.5 billion/year

Equalize Insurance Premiums:  $700 million/year

Retail Closure and Consolidation:  $1 billion/year

Processing Closure and Consolidation:  $2 billion/year

Normalize Rates, Eliminate Special Deals:  $1 billion/year

Total Savings:  $10.7 billion/year

The business meeting of the subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Ross, will be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in Room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, and can be viewed online at http://oversight.house.gov.

More information on the Postal Service’s financial crisis and the Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act is available at http://SavingThePostalService.com.

23 thoughts on “House Subcommittee to Hold Markup of Issa-Ross Postal Reform Act Wednesday

  1. I am not familiar with HR 1351. I must admit that I doubt there is a bill that will solve all of the Postal woes.. I will go in and have a looksy and see what it contains…

  2. The Truth of the matter is the solution to the most serious problem facing the U.S.Postal Service is a Bill introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R.1351. The passing of this Bill to become a Law would eliminate the need for Layoffs, Closures, Consolidations, Reductions in Healthcare coverage, and more. On the other hand, H.R.2309, the so-called Postal Reform Act introduced during the Bush administration supports Layoffs, Closures, Consolidations, decreased mail delivery, Reductions in Healthcare coverage, ETC. The American people have enjoyed the Postal Service since the Pony Express. Do the right thing, support H.R.1351.

  3. Yeah the party’s over…no more wages or benefits you can survive on. Let the billionaires decimate the Postal Service. They can turn it into Postal Mart. Bet you can even make 8 bucks as a Postal Mart greeter. Its the Unions that have destroyed everything. If it wasnt for the Unions, people could have more mansions. The rich just arent rich enough. The poor shall inherit the United States. Go Tea Party!!!

  4. That should really help the failing economy in this country. Yes, the answer must be to put another 220k middle class tax payers on the unemployment rolls. All our neighborhoods can use several more vacant foreclosures. Thank about the extra jobs at the employment office or the welfare department or even the medicaid department. I’m sure all those areas must have over funding to cover all that business that will be generated by such genius ideas. Oh, those are “entitlement” programs that need to go away or be cut back also? Then start building more prisons because, with no jobs to be had, I’m sure those that lose everything they’ve worked and saved for will find a way to eat even if it means taking it from the “don’t raise my taxes” wealthy. Henry Ford learned early on in his business that if there isn’t enough workers making enough money to buy his cars then there is no business. Who will the rich continue to sell to when only the rich can buy? Giving back an over payment is not a bailout!

  5. Issa rocks,!,, the party overs you cry babies. In fact, they aren’t going deep enough with cuts, that will change. 7 out of 10 Americans want postal change. Your no different than the auto workers. You , the unions and magement has destroyed the post office. Funny thing is all your management is postal employees from with in and your cry babie, no working, uneducated workers who think we owe you something, lol. It’s the blind leading the blind. retire now , while you can ……

  6. Issa is only “shock and fluff”….he floats like a bumble bee and stings like a butterfly. Forgetabouthim

  7. Tea Party Republican, Rush and Mark Levin loving Postal Worker here. It’s over fellas…..Done,,,put a fork in it….all you have to do is look at Detroit to see what unions have done

  8. My my Bill. I’m aware of the Government mandated requirements on the Postal Service that have put us billions behind. If you would pay attention you would understand that even with those mandates withdrawn we are still in dire straits due to the huge decline in first class mail.
    More importantly, it has always seemed moronic to me that when someone is challenged on their ideas they have to immediately resort to the name calling. So typically liberal..Grow up and learn to discuss things liike an adult. You will thank me someday if you ever learn to be a good American and try to appreciate people who differ with you.

  9. America, a race to the bottom.
    Tea Party = Taliban
    Republications = either greedy educated or uneducated people.
    A union worker never votes republican.
    God save the planet.

  10. Gotta always love the dumbass Fake News Flat Eathers. THE POST OFFICE IS BROKE BECAUSE OF THE 2006 POSTAL REFORM LAW! IT’S A SHELL GAME, YOU F**KING IDIOT! IT’S A FEDERAL AGENCY IN DEBT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! IT’S LIKE ME OWEING MYSELF MONEY! QUIT LISTENING TO IDIOTS LIKE BILL ORALLY FOR YOU INFORMATION, YOU STUPID F**KING IDIOT!!!!

  11. I think this bill is a sparkling example of what we have come to in this country.
    THE POST OFFICE IS BROKE! What is so hard to understand about that. If significant changes aren’t made, we will simply fall apart or go back on the government dole.
    I see that Obama is proposing significant reductions in Medicare. Why is he doing that??? Perhaps because Medicare is going broke also.
    Picnic is over boys. Time we all woke up and realized that we can’t just protest every time things don’t go our way. This has been coming for a long time.
    If we can close over two hundred plants and still function then it would seem to me that we are a bit over extended.
    I love the comment by Rushlimbaughisafool…My guess he will retain his citizenship regardless of this bill…Good luck all..

  12. I wouldn’t worry about it honestly. As far as i know he only has himself and his crony Ross on board (the co-sponsor). He may head the subcommittee but the only aye’s he’s going to hear are from the crickets in the room. The alternate Democrat proposal has over 200 on board. At the very least, the Democrat version most likely has more co-signers. Besides, with a potential Ethics committee appointment coming, Issa will hopefully have his hands full and will be too busy and distracted to bother us.

  13. first, let me make one thing perfectly clear. issa is sa fool! issa and ross are union -busting wannabes.
    if the
    democratic controlled senate would go along with anything
    even close to the issa/ross h. r. 2309 then i would be forced to
    denounce my american citizenship and leave the country
    to live elsewhere.

  14. knuckleheads issa and ross may be pushing this forward now before the
    postal service formally announces that their consoldation plan requires
    that NO MAIL WILL BE DELIVERED THE NEXT DAY. the public and business
    have to be informed that donahoe’s(issa/ross) plan requires this service reduction at the same rate they pay now. i assume most of the general public and business leaders will read about donahoes “screw over the customer service reduction” when the post office files with the postal regulatory commission in october. we know about the plan now but the gereral public and business mailers probably aren’t aware. the public and business community reaction will
    have a lot to say about the outcome of “postal reform.” i see some red state representatives are starting to break ranks and come out against the consolidation plans. steve womack (r-ark) said the service cutting wasn’t helping and maybe our postal management was the problem! amen. i intially thought issa and ross would receive blind support from all republicans simply because that seems to be the political enviroment we are in today. dems or rep voting for or opposing legislation simply because of who sponsors it without even considering if it is a good idea or a bad idea for america. time will tell.
    let’s hope common sense prevails and H. R. 2309 IS DEFEATED SOUNDLY
    AND BY BIPARTISAN VOTE!

  15. There won’t be a full severance package….the RIF reads “or $25,000” and man
    dates the lesser of the two amounts be paid….

  16. Government is designed to help the elderly and poor, but lately america seems to be shifted toward the ipod culture.
    Lets create a new department for Ipod patrols. If you do not use technology of present you should have your fingers cut off. ‘
    Its not any more ridiculous than the politicians ruining america. Terrorist won in some aspects!

  17. ross and issa they have no clue about the post office. their is no public money to bail out the post office. the bottom line is they are trying to destroy the post office and the unions. well mr. ross and mr. issa let check how much kick back you get from ups and fed-x. nov of 2012 can’t come to soon.
    who would voted for these air head is unbelieveable.

  18. Lovely ideas – too bad the cost of unemployment nationwide will offset all of these costs, and what about all of the relocation fees and severance packages the postal service will be on the hook to pay for all the displaced workers when closures and consolidations take place, remember Obama doesn’t support breaking baragaining agreements (union contracts) the reality is these men are just trying to make a name for themselves and will drive this countrys mail system into something like what canada has- total crap.

  19. Exactly, harry. That’s just what we need, another quarter million unemployed workers and more homes in foreclosure. Check out the severance pay for postal workers let go because their job is abolished. If ONLY 150,000 postal workers lost their jobs, the severance pay to be paid out would be over $7 million dollars. Where’s the savings in that? Of course, then, the new contract would allow those workers to be replaced at half the hourly wage that the postal workers now make. Sounds like a conspiracy to me.

Comments are closed.