Senate Democrats are seeking to amend a U.S. Postal Service reform bill to minimize potentially closing mail offices, while Senate Republicans want to tack on amendments that would curtail collective bargaining rights for union mail service employees and reduce costs.
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Harry Mason ReidMcConnell goes hands-off on coronavirus relief bill Kamala Harris to young Black women at conference: 'I want you to be ambitious' Obama calls filibuster 'Jim Crow relic,' backs new Voting Rights Act bill MORE (D-Nev.) announced a compromise over which amendments the chamber would consider attaching to S.1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act. The agreement, to vote on 39 amendments from both Republicans and Democrats, came after Reid used a procedural move to stop Sen. Rand Paul
Randal (Rand) Howard PaulTrump-backed Hagerty wins Tennessee GOP Senate primary Senators introduce bill to block Trump armed drone sale measure The Hill's Campaign Report: Trump's visit to battleground Ohio overshadowed by coronavirus MORE (R-Ky.) from adding an amendment that would have cut off American aid to Egypt. Reid said the amendment was too broad.
The 39 amendments that the Senate will vote on Tuesday are all related in some way to Postal Service reform. For the most part, Democrats are submitting amendments that would make it harder to close post offices in order to save the mail service, while Republicans are proposing a range of amendments aimed at cutting mail service costs and curtailing rights for unionized employees.
For example, Sen. Claire McCaskill
Claire Conner McCaskillDemocratic-linked group runs ads in Kansas GOP Senate primary Trump mocked for low attendance at rally Missouri county issues travel advisory for Lake of the Ozarks after Memorial Day parties MORE (D-Mo.) is proposing an amendment that would "prohibit the closing of a rural post office unless certain conditions are met and to establish a moratorium on the closing of rural post offices." Similarly, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin
Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinSunday shows preview: White House, congressional Democrats unable to breach stalemate over coronavirus relief On The Money: Pessimism grows as coronavirus talks go down to the wire | Jobs report poised to light fire under COVID-19 talks | Tax preparers warn unemployment recipients could owe IRS Pessimism grows as coronavirus talks go down to the wire MORE (D-Ill.) is offering an amendment that keeps "the Postal Service from closing, consolidating, or reducing the workforce of certain postal facilities." Sen. Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerPelosi, Schumer slam Trump executive orders, call for GOP to come back to negotiating table Sunday shows preview: White House, congressional Democrats unable to breach stalemate over coronavirus relief Postal Service says it lost .2 billion over three-month period MORE (D-N.Y.), the top messaging Democrat in the chamber, has an amendment meant to "maintain all current door delivery point services." Meanwhile, Paul is offering a number of amendments to curtail union bargaining rights for mail service employees. For example, one amendment prohibits employees "from engaging in collective bargaining." Paul is also proposing an amendment that closes "post offices in the Capitol Complex." Another, also sponsored by Paul, makes the mail service "take into consideration the impact of regulations when developing a profitability plan."
Sen. Jim DeMint is also offering an amendment that protects "postal workers with respect to their right not to subsidize union nonrepresentational activities." Sen. Tom Coburn
Thomas (Tom) Allen CoburnInspector general independence must be a bipartisan priority in 2020 Congress must protect federal watchdogs Tom Coburn's annual gift to taxpayers MORE's (R-Okla.) amendment would let the service "close unprofitable office facilities."
Both Senate Republicans and their Democratic counterparts spent the last week or so debating the postal bill. Both sides argued strongly in support of reforming the service so that it could avoid going broke, but the amendments to which the chamber agreed suggest two different approaches to how the service should be saved.
