Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, first of all, let me express my appreciation to every Senator. We tried something a little different, and I think it is something we can look to in the future. We decided we were going to have an amendment process. Maybe it is not as far as everyone wants to go, but it is a pretty good step in the right direction. Rather than having no amendments, rather than having only germane amendments, we decided we would have a standard that is very broad; that is, relevant amendments. It has given people the opportunity to offer lots of different things. So I hope in the future--it may not happen on every piece of legislation that comes along, but I hope we get in the habit of being able to do things such as this; that gives Senators wide range on things they can do. But anyway, we have done it on this and I appreciate everyone's cooperation. I also appreciate the good work of Senator Lieberman and Senator Collins. I have many times in the last week or so expressed that appreciation to them for their leadership. This has been extremely difficult. It is a massive bill dealing with more than one-half million postal employees, more than 30,000 post offices, 500 or so processing centers, and it has been extremely difficult to get to a point where I hope we can arrive shortly. So we are here. I have been given the nod. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motions with respect to the Lieberman-Collins substitute amendment and the bill be vitiated; the motion to recommit be withdrawn; that the pending amendments Nos. 2013 and 2015 be withdrawn and that the following amendments be the only amendments in order to S. 1789 or the pending substitute amendment No. 2000, as modified: McCain 2001; Tester 2056; Coburn 2060; McCain 2033; Wyden-Feinstein 2020; Coburn 2058; McCaskill- Merkley 2031; Coburn 2061; Snowe 2080; Udall of New Mexico 2043; Durbin 2082; Akaka 2034, with a modification agreed to by the two managers; Bennet-Blunt 2047; Corker 2083; Mikulski 2003; Akaka 2049; Paul 2025; Manchin 2079; Paul 2026; Bingaman 2076; Paul 2027; Cardin 2040; Paul 2028; Carper 2065; Paul 2029; Carper 2066; Paul 2039; Casey 2042; Paul 2038; Landrieu 2072; DeMint 2046; McCaskill 2030; Coburn 2059; Pryor 2036; Rockefeller 2073; Rockefeller 2074; Schumer 2050; Tester 2032; and Warner 2071, with a modification agreed to by the two managers; that on Tuesday, April 24, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate vote in relation to the amendments in the order listed; that there be 2 minutes equally divided in the usual form prior to each vote; that all after the first vote be 10-minute votes; that the amendments be subject to a 60-affirmative-vote threshold; that there be no other amendments in order to the bill, the substitute amendment, as modified, or the amendments listed; and there be no points of order or motions in order to any of these amendments, the substitute amendment or the bill, other than budget points of order and the applicable motions to waive; that upon disposition of the amendments, the substitute amendment, as modified and amended, if amended, be agreed to; further, the bill, as amended, then be read a third time and the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of the bill, as amended; finally, that the vote on passage of the bill be subject to a 60-affirmative-vote threshold.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1021.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that a Coons amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Monday, April 23, at 5 p.m. the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 528; that there be 30 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate proceed to vote, with no intervening action or debate, on Calendar No. 528; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, there be no intervening action or debate, and there be no further motions in order; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until Monday, April 23, at 12 noon; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that the Senate then resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1925; that at 2 p.m., the Republican leader or his designee be recognized to make a motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 36, which would be under a previous order that has already been entered; further, that at 4 p.m., the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1925; and, finally, at 5 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session under the previous order.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, first of all, I say to the Presiding Officer, thank you very much for your patience. We often need patience, so I appreciate yours. Unanimous Consent Agreement--S. 1789

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that in the previous order with respect to S. 1789 and the Akaka amendment No. 2034 the reference to the modification of the Akaka amendment No. 2034 be stricken.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, there is a bill at the desk due for its first reading.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 425, submitted earlier today.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, following leader remarks the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. The majority will control the first 30 minutes, the Republicans the final 30 minutes. The filing deadline for first-degree amendments to the substitute amendment and the postal reform bill is 1 o'clock this afternoon.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I really hope we can work out an agreement on the postal reform bill. I spoke to Senator Lieberman, the chairman of the committee, late last night, and he is hopeful, as I am, that we can move forward on this legislation. It is a shame if we cannot. As we speak, there are more than half a million men and women working for the Postal Service, and 25 percent of them are returning veterans. We have 30,000 post offices around the country. We have about 8 million people who depend on the post office for their jobs. So to think that we can't move forward on this would be really untoward. It is something we really need to get done. I am hopeful we can get that done. People can offer amendments, and we should do that as quickly as possible and move forward on this legislation. If there is no agreement, we will have to vote on the substitute amendment tomorrow morning. I repeat, it would be too bad if we cannot get it done. Enshrined in the Constitution by the Founding Fathers, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered this Nation's letters and other mail since the day of the quill pen and the inkwell. That is why we have inkwells here. That is what these are. I have paper clips in mine now, but originally that was the only way people who sat at these desks and did their work could write. Most of the time it was for mail. Mail has been delivered through the years when stamps cost a nickel. Mail has been delivered through the years when mail traveled up and down America's waterways by steamship, and it has been delivered through two world wars when soldiers sent letters home to their sweethearts and families. Through it all, the U.S. Postal Service has been there to deliver the mail, rain or shine. But today America's postal system is in crisis. We kind of use that as a throwaway, ``through rain or shine.'' When I was a little boy, we had really bad snowstorms all over the West. In Searchlight, NV, we had a little snow a few times a year. But we had 3 feet of snow on the level. It was very, very bad. I can remember a man named Con Hudgens. The mail came to Searchlight. There was a railroad that went through Nipton, CA, which was 22 miles from Searchlight. As that train sped through Nipton, they had an apparatus that would snatch the mail that was on the train. That mail was for Searchlight. They sorted it that way. This old man, Con Hudgens, walked through snow 22 miles to bring the mail. That is what we talk about when we say that mail has been delivered through rain or shine. That is the mantra of the post office. But today America's postal system is in crisis. Today a personal note from a friend or payment to the electric company can be delivered online with a few quick keystrokes on your computer. This changing technology has meant serious new challenges for an organization that has serviced citizens of this Nation from its very beginning. It has served this Nation whether they live on city streets or rural routes. Although the world the post office deals with has changed, the postal system's message and mission have not changed; that is, to deliver letters, packages, medicines--much of which is vital--online purchases, birthday cards, phone bills to hundreds of millions of Americans no matter how rural or how urban the places they call home. Neither has the current crisis changed the importance of that mission. Nearly half of rural households don't have broadband Internet access, making it difficult or impossible to pay bills or ship packages online. Rural families in Tuscarora, NV, or Baker, NV, in Elko County, NV, rely on the Postal Service. That is their way of communicating. Small businesses benefit from cost-saving options offered at the post office, such as bulk mail. American businesses rely on the U.S. Postal Service. As I indicated earlier, 8 million people's jobs are dependent on the Postal Service. For seniors who cannot leave their homes, mail carriers deliver livesaving medications--an important link to the outside world. Elderly Americans rely on the U.S. Postal Service. I will go home tonight to my home here in Washington, and there will be some mail there. A lot of it is what some people refer to as junk mail, but for the people who are sending that mail, it is very important. And talking about seniors, seniors love to get junk mail. It is sometimes their only way of communicating or feeling they are part of the real world. Elderly Americans, more than any other group of people in America, rely on the U.S. Postal Service. Unless we act quickly, thousands of post offices--I indicated there are more than 30,000 in America--many of them rural, will close. I said this earlier today, and I will repeat it. These rural post offices are the only way people in those small communities have to communicate with the outside world. There may be some medicine they are getting, it may be to keep in touch with their family or friends, but it is their way of keeping in touch with the world. Hundreds of mail-processing facilities will close, and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of dedicated postal employees are at risk. Timely, dependable mail delivery is not the only thing at stake in this debate. Today the Postal Service employs, as I have indicated, more than half a million middle-class workers, and the postal system gives more than 130,000 men and women who volunteered for this country in the armed services a chance to serve again. A quarter of all postal employees are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. So there is really a lot at stake in this debate. The Postal Service has been playing an important role in the history of this country and the lives of its citizens for more than 200 years, but it has also seen a 21-percent drop in mail volume over the last 5 years and is on the verge of insolvency. Yesterday the Postal Service lost about $20 million--1 day. Changing times demand a leaner, more modern post office. To make that possible, we must pass legislation. The Senate must act. We must change the Postal Service business model. They cannot do it on their own. They need legislation. They need it to keep pace with technology and to keep up with the times. The bipartisan bill before this body enacts reforms that are major but measured. The people who have worked on this so hard--I have already talked about Senator Lieberman. His counterpart, Republican Senator Collins, has worked extremely hard. I have worked with her to maintain the 6-day delivery. This is something she believes in strongly. I really admire her for the fight she has put up to get the things that she feels are important in this legislation. If we act, it would reduce the number of employees and facilities the Postal Service maintains in a responsible way, and that would protect employees and millions of Americans relying on the mail. It would responsibly restructure the postal system, while preserving overnight 6-day-a-week delivery. It would help the Postal Service innovate and grow by offering new products that will attract new customers and, most importantly, would save the Postal Service from insolvency. It will help an institution enshrined in the Constitution modernize to meet the challenges of a changing world. What Senators Lieberman and Collins have come up with is not perfect, and we all recognize that. It is not a perfect compromise. It will not make every Senator happy. It will not make every American happy. It will not save every post office. But it is a very good compromise and one that is bipartisan. It will save an institution that has been a part of the fabric of this Nation for more than 200 years. So let's work together to save the American Postal Service, which, by the way, is the best in the world. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 406 and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any related statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 426.

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. We are working on an agreement with respect to the postal reform bill. If no agreement is reached, there will be a cloture vote on the substitute amendment at 2:15 tomorrow.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until Thursday, April 19, at 9:30 a.m.; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that the Senate then resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, and that following the remarks of the two leaders, the next hour be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes; that the filing deadline for second- degree amendments to the substitute amendment, No. 2000, as modified, and S. 1789 be 11 a.m. on Thursday; and finally, that the cloture votes with respect to the substitute amendment No. 2000, as modified, and S. 1789, the postal reform bill, occur at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday. So there are two cloture votes, one regarding the substitute amendment, No. 2000, and, as I indicated, S. 1789.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I have some procedural matters to do, if the Senator from Vermont wishes to finish his statement.