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Legislative and Political Affairs
S ince our last convention report, Washington’s legislative and po- litical landscape has significantly shifted. The 2022 midterm elections saw Republicans reclaim a narrow majority in the House, while Demo- crats managed to hold onto their slim majority in the Senate. Tight majori- ties and a divided Congress have set the stage for a challenging legislative environment in the 118th Congress. Last fall, the House faced a sig- nificant three-week disruption when members of his own party triggered a vote to remove Speaker Kevin Mc- Carthy (R-CA). After several unsuc- cessful attempts by other members to secure the speakership, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was finally elected speaker at the end of October. Speaker Johnson has faced numer- ous obstacles, including a motion to vacate the speakership filed by members of his own party just sev- en months into his tenure. Speaker Johnson met a different fate than Mc- Carthy when Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and fellow Democrats voted to table the motion and keep the House running. Nevertheless, with a 220-213 ma- jority (and two vacancies), Repub- licans can only afford to lose three votes on any legislation considered on the House floor, meaning it is al- most impossible to pass bills with- out some bipartisan support.The majority has experienced signifi- cant difficulty within in its own cau- cuses resulting in very little making it to the House floor outside of non- controversial matters. On the Senate side, margins are just as tight with a nearly evenly divided body (48 Democrats, 49 Re- publicans, and three Independents who caucus with the Democrats). Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- NY) and Minority Leader Mitch Mc- Connell (R-KY) have kept their lead- ership roles. In both chambers, the legislative agenda has been scaled back significantly in the 118th and looking at the remainder of the sec- ond session, not much is expected. We are convening in Boston just three months before the 2024 elec-
The Postal Record 39 August 2024 The Postal Service has three re- tirement funds, CSRS, FERS, and the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF). Currently, these funds are invested solely in low-yield Treasury bonds, causing the agency to miss out on millions of dollars of potential annual returns. To that end, NALC has been working with key legislators to carefully craft legislation to allow for investment of future funds that follows private- As always, NALC will educate members and support candidates who will support letter carrier- friendly policies that promote a healthy network and good jobs. To that end, we will continue to work alongside our sister unions to elect pro-letter carrier candidates across the federal government. Post-election, Congress will con- vene for a lame duck session. The House, Senate, and presidential election results will shape what opportunities might arise during this eight-week period. A chang- ing 2025 landscape could incentiv- ize party leaders to hotline some of their priorities through Congress. NALC will stay closely engaged dur- ing this time and will act on any op- portunities that could propel our priorities forward. Legislative priorities Stabilizing the Postal Service’s finances The long-term financial viability of our employer remains a top pri- ority. A sustainable USPS is key to our long-term job security and the service we provide. The Postal Service Reform Act was a major step toward making the USPS financially solvent. How- ever, we knew this was only one piece of a larger solution. Two sig- nificant policy matters must be ad- dressed in order to achieve finan- cial stability. First, NALC is advocating for the Postal Service to be allowed to in- vest its retirement funds.
tion, in which the presidency and control of both chambers of Con- gress are up for grabs. The last few election cycles have taught us that despite polls and predictions, anything can happen. Uncertainty in the presidential elec- tion is making it increasingly diffi- cult to project the outcome of that race as well as future control of both chambers of Congress. The race for control of the House in the 119th Congress is sure to be tight. 45 members of Congress have announced their retirement, with more expected. According to The Cook Political Report, there are 22 extremely competitive elections, half currently held by Democrats and half held by Republicans, that could go either way. These races will likely decide which party reach- es the 218-seat threshold to control the chamber. In the Senate, one-third of seats are up for reelection this year. Eight senators have announced their retire- ment and Democrats are at a signifi- cant disadvantage in defending the majority. Seven seats currently held by Democrats will largely determine the majority. Sens. Jon Tester (MT), Jacky Rosen (NV), Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (PA), and Tammy Baldwin (WI) are the most vulnerable. With the retirements of Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the Senate races in Arizona and Michigan are also expected to be competitive and go towards either party. If Democrats lose two or more of these, or any, Senate races, Repub- licans will gain control of the cham- ber. Republican senators that are up for reelection hail from largely safe Republican seats. Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) are con- sidered the party’s most vulnerable, however their states are Republican strongholds that Donald Trump won in 2020. Now more than ever, it’s impor- tant for letter carriers to familiarize themselves with the candidates, know NALC’s priority issues, and most importantly, have a plan to vote in November.
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