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Dueling hashtags show partisan bickering over USPS reform
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09/21/11 05:54 PM ET
A partisan fight over the flailing U.S. Postal Service played out through social media Wednesday.
Republicans and Democrats on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee engaged in a battle through their respective Twitter accounts ahead of a committee markup hearing on the Issa-Ross Postal Act, a Republican proposal to reform the U.S. Postal Service, which is in danger of running out of funding.
"Issa-Ross #Postal act only bill in Congress to #saveUSPS financial crisis w/o taxpayer bailout," tweeted @GOPoversight.
The committee staff added a shot at Democratic committee member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.): ".@OversightDems & @GerryConnolly are spreading a lot of #Postal myths #saveUSPS"
Connolly also defended himself with a tweet: "Chairman [Dennis] Ross [(R-Fla.), of the subcommittee that oversees the postal service] offers false choice on #USPS. [Reps. Stephen] Lynch [(D-Mass.)] and Connolly bills allow new model and innovation for #postal service #InnovateUSPS."
The dueling hashtags used by the Republican and Democratic members of the committee refer to the Issa-Ross Postal Act (#saveUSPS) and the Democratic proposal introduced by Cummings and Lynch, the Innovate to Deliver Act (#InnovateUSPS), respectively.
Issa-Ross would raise premiums for USPS employees to be in line with other federal workers and allow the Postal Service to raise prices, according to a website set up by Republican committee members, savingthepostalservice.com. If the Postal Service fails to pay its bills, the Republican plan would put it under control of an independent watchdog empowered to restructure labor agreements.
The Democratic plan focuses on innovation to bring the Postal Service into financial safety. It would expand its services to check-cashing, facility leasing and retail services, create a new chief information officer and correct over payments to retirement accounts.
The Postal Service is expected to hit its $15 billion borrowing limit in a matter of weeks if no action is taken.
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