Post Office Namings

Senators from plain states want the American bison to be designated as the national mammal of the United States.

Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) introduced S. 3248, the Bison Legacy Act, on Thursday. The bill would "honor" the animal by making it the nation's mammal.

“Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum,” said Rep. Rush, who also donned sunglasses.

The Senate this week approved a resolution allowing two Senate staffers to testify at a judicial proceeding involving Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, the brother-in-law of former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). Scruggs is currently serving a prison sentence for "honest-services fraud" but is looking to have his conviction overturned.

The Senate passed S. Res. 403 on Wednesday by unanimous consent, although passage does not appear to have actually happened on the floor — instead, it appears to have been inserted in the Congressional Record after the Senate closed. The resolution allows the defense in United States v. Scruggs to hear testimony from Hugh Gamble, a former staffer for Lott now working for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), and Brad Davis, a current staffer for Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).

The House on Wednesday afternoon quickly approved three bills naming post offices in Missouri and New York.

In a quick series of roll-call votes, members approved H.R. 2079 by a 418-2 vote, H.R. 3247 by a 419-0 vote and H.R. 3248 by a 412-0 vote.

Following these votes, members began debate on H.R. 3408, the Protecting Investment in Oil Shale, the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy and Resource Security (PIONEERS) Act.

Eight House Democrats on Thursday proposed legislation that would require companies to consider bills as "paid" once they are postmarked, an idea meant to help consumers stay current on their bills given the likelihood of service cutbacks at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the lead sponsor of the bill, said USPS has announced service cutbacks that would eliminate the chance of next-day mail service for letters dropped in home mailboxes and would slow down all first-class mail.

Actor Bill Murray on Friday said he believes Americans need to be more personally responsible for their well-being.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) this week charged Republicans with trying to gut the U.S. Postal Service in order to hand off a large chunk of the mail delivery industry to the private sector.

"What we have here is people who want to kill it off, cream off the profitable stuff for the private sector," DeFazio told KMTR in Oregon.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has introduced a resolution calling for a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to be placed in the U.S. Capitol, and the House is expected to approve the resolution on Monday.

If passed, the resolution would once again return Churchill to a prime spot in the nation's capitol. President Obama in 2009 famously returned a bust of Churchill that was in the White House back to Britain, sparking complaints that Obama seemed to be diminishing the primacy of the U.S.-British relationship.

Just after passing the rule for the payroll tax holiday bill in a partisan vote, members of the House quickly approved two non-controversial bills:

H.R. 3246, naming a post office in Missouri. Passed 415-0.

S. 384, extending the authority of the U.S. Postal Service to raise funds for breast cancer research. Passed 417-1.

"I guess we'll become the first developed nation on earth without a postal service," Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said.