Joseph Lieberman

Mr. LIEBERMAN

Mr. LIEBERMAN. I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I oppose this amendment. It is taking a bill that has the urgent purpose of saving the U.S. Postal Service-- changing it to save it--and bringing in a matter of internal labor union business. The fact is no postal employee is forced to join a union, but once one does, the union leadership can guide the policy positions the union supports through the democratic processes within the union. No postal employee himself or herself is forced to involuntarily support the advocacy or political activities of a union. That is their choice-- whether to join it. But once they do, their leadership has the right to participate in a political process. I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, we will go to Senator Pryor's amendment No. 2036.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I thank my friend from Arkansas. This is a good amendment, and I support it wholeheartedly and move its adoption by voice vote.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. We will now go to Senator Rockefeller's amendment No. 2073.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I thank the Senator from West Virginia. Some questions were raised about parts of the bill relating to accessibility to Medicare by postal employees. I think there has been a good meeting of the minds with this modification. I support the amendment as modified and urge its adoption by voice vote.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Before we get to Senator Rockefeller's second amendment, Senator Coburn has asked me to withdraw amendment No. 2059 on his behalf. I thank him for that. Amendment No. 2074 We will now go to Senator Rockefeller's amendment No. 2074.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I urge the adoption of the amendment by voice vote.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I move reconsideration and ask the motion be laid on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2071, as Modified

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Next will be Senator Tester, amendment No. 2032. Senator Tester is not on the floor right now. I know we were building up to Senator Warner's amendment as the last amendment, but this may now be the second-to-last amendment. Next we will have Senator Warner No. 2071.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I move for reconsideration and ask the motion be placed on the table.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. The excitement builds now as we move to the last amendment. Senator Tester has amendment No. 2032.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I thank my friend from Montana for his amendment. He explained it well and I urge its adoption by voice vote.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I move for reconsideration and ask that motion be laid on the table.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on S. 1789 and give the Postal Service both the financial footing and the business tools it needs to compete in this new communications age. Let's start by facing facts. USPS is losing business and losing money. If we do nothing, on May 15th the Postmaster will be allowed to implement his own downsizing plan, which is far more severe than this bill allows and will lead to a loss of jobs and services that could be painful in this fragile economy, especially to our small towns and rural communities. We have another choice. To all my colleagues who say they are worried about the burdens the Postmaster's proposal to close 3,700 post offices will impose on families and businesses of their states, I say: ``Vote for this bill.'' It requires the Postal Service issue service standards that ensure communities throughout the country have access to retail postal services, and requires offering alternatives to closures, such as reduced hours at existing facilities, or permitting private contractors or rural carriers to provide services. To all my colleagues who worry about the loss of postal processing facilities in their states, and the jobs and services that will go with them, I say: ``Vote for this bill.'' While it permits the Postal Service to eliminate excess capacity, it also requires it to maintain an overnight delivery standard--although for somewhat smaller geographic areas. And the maximum standard delivery time--3 days for a letter mailed anywhere in the continental United States--would remain unchanged. That means fewer plant closings. To all my colleagues who worry about the loss of Saturday delivery, I say: ``Vote for this bill,'' which takes a responsible, balanced approach to this difficult issue. The bill prohibits implementation of 5-day delivery for 2 years and requires the Postal Service to determine if the other cost-saving measures in this bill have made cancelling Saturday service unnecessary--and to tell us how it plans to cushion the impacts on the businesses and communities it serves if it decides to go to five days. Only if the Comptroller General and the Postal Regulatory Commission review the evidence and conclude that the change is necessary, will the switch to 5-day service be allowed. To all my colleagues who worry about the Postal Service's bleak financial outlook, I say: ``Vote for this bill,'' which provides crucial financial breathing room to help ward off some of the drastic cuts I just spoke of. First, not one dollar of taxpayer money is being used. This is not a postal ``bailout.'' Roughly $11 billion in USPS overpayments to the Federal Employee Retirement System will be refunded and used to encourage its 100,000 workers at or near retirement age to take voluntary buyouts that could save $8 billion a year. Money left over can also be used to retire debt. The bill also reduces the amount the Postal Service has to pay each year to prefund its Retiree Health Benefits, by amortizing its liability over the next 40 years. This will significantly cut the $5.5 billion annual payment USPS has been making, while still assuring there will be sufficient funds to meet the commitments for future retirees' health benefits. To all my colleagues who worry that the Postal Service just isn't relevant in the 21st Century, I say: ``Vote for this bill,'' which gives the Postal Service tools to bring in fresh revenues by offering new products and services, such as contracting with state and local governments to issue state licenses, shipping beer, wine and distilled spirits, and creating specialized Internet services. It also sets up a blue ribbon panel to develop a new strategic blueprint for the Postal Service for this new age. Finally, in many ways the debate over postal reform is a mirror of the overall budget debate--but writ small. We confront a financial crisis that could wreak havoc on our economy were the Postal Service to run out of money and be forced to severely slash services. Yet no one wants to cut any services or raise any rates on anybody. This bill will not solve all the problems that confront the Postal Service, but it is a beginning. This bill represents a clear-eyed and pragmatic way forward for the Postal Service--one that avoids panic or complacency. It is the kind of balanced and bipartisan approach we will need to deal with the even bigger problems with fast-approaching deadlines racing towards us--like the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the sequestration of military funding. So to my colleagues who worry about our ability to get big things done and who want to prove to the American people--and ourselves--that Congress can rise above partisan and parochial interests and work for the good of all Americans, I urge you to pass this bill. I do want to thank the three colleagues on our committee--Senator Collins, Senator Carper, Senator Brown--for the work everyone did to bring about a bipartisan bill that will bring necessary change to the Postal Service in order to save it. Make no mistake about it, this bill will bring the change that the post office needs to stay alive, serving the people and businesses of our country. Here is the bottom line. The Postal Service itself says that within 3 years, as sections of this bill are phased in, they will reduce their cost of operating by $19 billion and probably in the year after that they will go into balance. That is what this bill will accomplish. I again thank my colleagues on the committee and the staffs of both sides and the floor staffs on both sides for the extraordinary work over a long period that was done to get us to this point. We still need 60 votes to pass this bill. I appeal to my colleagues to do so, with a feeling of confidence that we have met a problem here together and have offered a solution that will fix the problem for our country. I yield the floor.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, with the passage today of S. 1789, we have given the United States Postal Service--created more than two centuries ago in the age of inkwells and quill pens--the tools to thrive in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Overall, about 8 million jobs hung in the balance, as well as the needs of every household and business in America that depends on the Postal Service to deliver everything from medicines to spare parts. Passage of this bill is a bipartisan victory that reflects well on the Senate and I want to take this moment to thank the many dedicated staff, from the majority and minority who helped make it possible. From my staff on the Homeland Security and Governmental I would like to thank Beth Grossman, Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel; Larry Novey, Chief Counsel for Governmental Affairs; Kenya Wiley, Staff Counsel; Mike Alexander, Staff Director; Holly Idelson, Senior Counsel; Jason Yanussi, Senior Professional Staff Member; Leslie Phillips, Communications Director; Sara Lonardo, Press Secretary; Scott Campbell, Communications Advisor; Rob Bradley, Legislative Aide, and Staff Assistant Nick Trager. From Senator Collins' staff, I would like to thank Katy French, Deputy Staff Director; John Kane, Professional Staff Member; Katie Adams, Professional Staff Member; Cassie D'Souza, detailee from the Postal Regulatory Commission; Nick Rossi, Staff Director and E.R. Anderson, Press Secretary. From our Federal Financial Management Subcommittee, which is chaired by Senator Carper and Ranking Member Scott Brown, I also want to thank John Kilvington, Staff Director for the majority and Justin Stevens, Professional Staff Member, from the minority. And I would also like to thank all of the staff for the majority and minority leaders, especially Gary Myrick and Tim Mitchell and Dave Schiappa who of course make everything happen on the floor of the Senate. Thomas Jefferson once asked the question: ``What duty does a citizen owe to the government that secures the society in which he lives?'' Answering his own question, Jefferson said: ``A nation that rests on the will of the people must also depend on individuals to support its institutions if it is to flourish. Persons qualified for public service should feel an obligation to make that contribution.'' These dedicated staff members answered Jefferson's call to duty and I am proud to be able to work with such people. Negotiations on the contours of the bill that would become S. 1789 began last October with members of Ranking Member Collins' and Senator Carper's staffs. The goal was to create a bipartisan bill that would gain support first in the Committee and then on the floor of the Senate. Today's vote to pass S. 1789 shows the long nights and weekends that went into this bill were worth it. So again, my thanks to our staffs and for all the work you do for the American people.

Mr. LIEBERMAN

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the next amendment on the list, the so-called McCaskill-Merkley amendment, be dropped a few places down because we are working on some compromise language that we hope will lead to a voice vote of acceptance.

Mr. LIEBERMAN. That would mean Senator Coburn's next amendment, which is amendment No. 2061, is now the pending business.