(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after voting for the bipartisan Postal Reform bill, which passed the full Senate today 62-37.
“The U.S. Postal Service has served our communities well since the dawn of our nation, but if we don’t push them to modernize and adapt to the realities of 21st century communication, this proud service won’t be able to keep its doors open much longer.
“That’s why I voted today for the bipartisan legislation that would restructure and streamline the system in a careful way that preserves overnight and Saturday delivery and makes sure the Postal Service doesn’t plunge into insolvency and cut off mail delivery for every family, senior, and small business owner across America.
“I want to thank my constituents for their letters and calls letting me know what the postal service means to them and what their priorities were as we put this bill together. These perspectives guided me as I pushed for legislation that worked for families and communities across Washington state.
“This bill is not perfect, but inaction is not an option. If we don’t act, the Postal Service faces certain insolvency. I fought for changes to this bill that would have offered greater protections to workers hurt on the job, and I was proud to help beat back amendments that would have stripped away protections and reneged on promises we’ve made to postal workers and others across the federal workforce.
“I am glad that this passed the Senate in a bipartisan fashion today, and I am going to keep fighting to improve this legislation as we conference with the House of Representatives and put together a final bill to send to the President.”
