Woolsey scores first post office naming of 112th congress

By Christina Wilkie - 03/14/11 08:00 PM ET

Few routine congressional procedures came under fire during the latest election cycle as often as the constitutionally mandated duty to designate U.S. post offices.

“It is absurd that Congress spends so much time on naming post offices, congratulating sports teams and celebrating the birthdays of historical figures,” said then-Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a speech last September.

But now that Republicans are in charge, it’s up to Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to balance duty and practicality when it comes to the post offices.

And on Monday night, one of the most liberal members of Congress became the first

beneficiary of the new post office plan: Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey (Calif.).

The former chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Woolsey sponsored a measure designating a post office in Inverness, Calif., as the “Spc. Jake Robert Velloza Post Office.”

Army Spc. Velloza was killed in action in Iraq in 2009, just weeks shy of his 23rd birthday. In a statement, Woolsey said, “Jake Velloza was a courageous young man with a bright future and big dreams. He exemplified the very best America has to offer.”

All of Woolsey’s fellow Golden State delegates, including Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R) and House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R), have backed the legislation.

Sources told ITK that the resolution will be the sole post office designation voted on this month, which is in keeping with Cantor’s pledge to House freshmen in a letter earlier this year.

Cantor wrote that he’ll allow “designations and namings of post offices and other federal buildings only one day each month.”

According to a spokeswoman for Cantor, Woolsey’s politics were never part of the equation. On the contrary, her resolution was simply “the first post office that became available, and the tribute was meritorious.”