Government affairs

Over the last two weeks, two “Dear Colleague” letters circulated throughout congressional offices, asking House members to show solidarity in their support for maintaining six-day delivery services for residents and businesses throughout the country. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO) rounded up more than 130 signatures from members in both parties on a letter to House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Chairman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and Ranking Member Jose Serrano (D-NY) requesting that its FY 2015 funding measure include the long-standing provision preserving six-day mail delivery in urban and rural communities across the country. This provision has carried strong bipartisan support and three decades of precedent, with Congress enacting the six-day delivery requirement in every appropriations act covering the Postal Service since 1984.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-MO) also circulated a similar version of the letter, which garnered more than 40 signatures. Following the two-week recess, the FSGG subcommittee will take up its appropriations measure, where the NALC will continue the fight to retain six-day delivery language.

In addition, Graves’ H. Res. 30, which expresses the sense of the House to take “all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of six-day mail delivery service,” continues to gain momentum among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and the NALC encourages letter carriers to continue to gather support from House members who have not yet signed on. At this writing, there were 213 co-sponsors. A full list of co-sponsors can be found here.