U.S. Postal Service (Cong. Rec., March 1, 2021)
Summary
This Senate page of the Congressional Record (page S918, March 1, 2021) carries a floor speech under the heading U.S. Postal Service. Coons says he has heard from nearly 5,000 Delawareans since last April asking for robust funding for the Postal Service and reporting delays in the mail, and recounts constituent stories including mail taking 4 to 6 weeks, a passport sitting idle for 10 days, and day-old chicks arriving lifeless. He says he has no beef with the men and women of the Postal Service but real and deep concerns about how it is being run under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Later remarks mention a Collins-Manchin bill on veteran vehicle grants and the confirmation of Dr. Cardona at the Department of Education.
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“U.S. Postal Service (Cong. Rec., March 1, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-01-crec-2021-03-01-pt1-pgs918-d0713ccade/
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S918 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2021
I suggest the absence of a quorum. mail issues. Since last April, I have Marcy Leib Rolmann wrote me and
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The heard from nearly 5,000 Delawareans— said: Our ‘‘mail here in Sussex County
clerk will call the roll. folks asking for robust funding for the as everywhere is horrible, despite our
The senior assistant legislative clerk Postal Service, wanting stronger vote- great letter carriers.’’
proceeded to call the roll. by-mail initiatives, and hundreds and Geiana Hollis of Wilmington wrote to
Mr. COONS. Madam President, I ask hundreds of them reporting delays in me last month because of her passport
unanimous consent that the order for the mail. sitting idle at a Philadelphia distribu-
the quorum call be rescinded. I want to take a few minutes, if I tion center for 10 days. She was set to
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without might, and just go through some of travel abroad and had to delay her trip.
objection, it is so ordered. these concerns I have heard, which, I Bill Powers, former county council-
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE have also heard from colleagues, are man I know well from New Castle
Mr. COONS. Madam President, it has being replicated across our Nation. County, a member of the Farm Bureau,
long been said that ‘‘neither snow nor Gloria Lester, down in Lewes, in Sus- is a longtime turkey grower who now
rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays’’ sex County, said that mail that pre- provides fresh eggs for local farmers
our U.S. postal ‘‘couriers from the viously took just 3 to 4 days is now markets. Bill has experienced signifi-
swift completion of their appointed taking her 4 to 6 weeks. Her bills are cant losses with turkey and chick de-
rounds.’’ These words, in fact, are chis- due before she even gets the state- liveries and called my office with con-
eled in granite above the entrance to ments. And her husband’s VA medica- cerns.
the post office on 8th Avenue in New tion took a month to arrive from the And I want, before I close, to men-
York City—one of the grandest post of- date they mailed it. tion one last story, from Trebs Thomp-
fices in our Nation. It is the adopted Jim Nichols of Milford wrote con- son, of Newark, an egg farmer with
creed of the faithful and hard-working cerned about the delay in getting his Whimsical Farms. Trebs wrote:
letter carriers and frontline workforce newspapers, his magazines, and his Largely our postal system has been a
of our Postal Service. other periodicals. jewel. It handles a large volume of mail
As I have said before, I have no beef And Jim is not alone. I have heard cheaply, with a high degree of speed and ac-
with the men and women of our Postal from local and regional newspapers curacy. Many of us depend on it for govern-
Service, but I have real and deep con- that rely on the Postal Service to de- ment paperwork, medications, orders, pay-
liver out-of-State and out-of-area sub- ments, and for farmers like me, seeds [and]
cerns about how the Postal Service is day-old chicks.
scribers.
being run under the current Post- The Post Office has been shipping day-old
We have a beach area with a lot of
master General. chicks to farms like mine for over 100 years.
homeowners who live here in our Na- Today, all 20 baby hens arrived cold and life-
President Biden doesn’t get to choose
tion’s Capital or elsewhere throughout less. I cried [as I opened the box]. The [post-
a new Postmaster General just because
the region. And Chris Raush, who is al] supervisor cried. The gentleman who nor-
he is the new President. In fact, the
with the Cape Gazette, which gets mally delivers my mail apologized profusely,
current officeholder, Louis DeJoy, was
mailed to folks all over our region, told but [it is] not his fault.
chosen by the Board under the previous Whatever one feels about mail-in ballots or
me some of their out-of-State sub-
administration. politics, I am asking you to put this aside
scribers don’t receive the paper for a
Weeks ago, I joined with many col- and do what you can to restore the Postal
month, and then, when they do, they
leagues and with Chairman PETERS of Service.
get a big bundle of old papers. And now
the Homeland Security and Govern- Trebs Thompson is right. No farmer
with papers not showing up weeks at a
mental Affairs Committee, which is re- should ever have to open a box of dead
time, they have had to tell subscribers
sponsible for the Postal Service, to chicks. No constituent should have to
this is just out of their control and
send a letter to Postmaster General hand deliver a letter to their Senator.
offer refunds.
DeJoy to restore on-time delivery and Our veterans shouldn’t be going with-
Megan Stibbe, of the Delmarva
stop the harmful systemwide changes out lifesaving medication.
Farmer, another local paper, said that
that have caused unacceptable mail Postmaster DeJoy appeared before
she has ‘‘been having a lot of trouble
delays. Members of the House last week and
with Delaware deliveries. The postal
Sadly, that is not the first time I apologized for the slow mail delivery
system,’’ as she said in writing to me,
have had to reach out, with Senators in and said he has a forthcoming plan,
‘‘is very screwed up right now. Del-
this body, to the Postmaster General. which I am concerned includes further
marva Farmers have not received their
In fact, on five separate occasions, we cuts to delivery service.
newspapers at all in January.’’
have written the Postmaster General, I have received dozens and dozens So let me summarize. My under-
between August and February, last more emails, texts, letters, and phone standing is that DeJoy’s plans for the
year to this year. We have demanded messages from frustrated constituents. future of the Postal Service include
transparency. We have insisted on the Dianne Boyle, of Magnolia, DE, felt higher prices and slower delivery. Dela-
restoration of mail sorting machines. so strongly about this ongoing debacle wareans are tired, and our Postal Serv-
We have asked for assistance with of delayed delivery in the Postal Serv- ice workers are tired, too, of the con-
vote-by-mail deliveries and wrote for ice that she hand delivered her own let- straints placed on them. How will we
just simple answers to pending con- ter of concern to my Dover office. solve this problem? In my view, we
stituent inquiries. Richard Bilkski of Selbyville, a gen- need to confirm as quickly as possible
In my hometown of Wilmington, DE, tleman with real and significant heart President Biden’s nominees to the
last August, I joined our attorney gen- issues that require him to be on medi- Postal Board of Governors: Ron
eral, Kathy Jennings, my senior Sen- cation, was down to his very last pill Stroman, Amber McReynolds, and
ator, TOM CARPER, Congresswoman on January 25. After calling and calling Anton Hajjar—all folks who have deep
LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, and a series of and calling, it turned out that his experience in the postal system. They
union leaders for a day of action to medication had been sitting in the Wil- could get us back on track.
save the Postal Service. mington post office for 3 weeks. We also have to prioritize invest-
A few days later, I drove myself to Toby Rubenstein, from Hockessin, ments in the Postal Service. Congress
our mail distribution center in New wrote me and said: secured $10 billion for the Postal Serv-
Castle after leadership of the Postal I have paid my bills by check all my life. ice in the unanimously passed CARES
Service denied my request to visit. [And now] the Postal Service is so unreli- Act to provide the resources to main-
Thanks to having been alerted by some able, that I now have monthly problems pay- tain operation at a time when families
frontline employees, I drove around ing [my] bills on time. [And] I’m not alone in are relying on mail service more than
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
back and was able to see a dismantled this. ever during this pandemic.
massive piece of mail handling equip- Claudette Richardson of Newark, DE, I will continue to support the Postal
ment left outside in the rain. wrote me a note saying that she had Service. I will continue to petition the
In January and February alone, my mailed her sister a Christmas card on Postmaster General, and I won’t stop
office received hundreds of messages December 14, and it arrived February until there is a solution to this critical
from constituents complaining about 12. and pressing issue. Our letter carriers
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March 1, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S919
and our customers shouldn’t suffer be- Econoline van. He has also had to pur- I am proud to support Dr. Cardona’s
cause of toxic leadership at the highest chase several adaptive vehicles since nomination, and I look forward to
levels of our Postal Service. 1999, with each one lasting over 250,000 working together to at last make good
I yield the floor to my colleague from miles until they simply were no longer on our promises to fully fund title I
the State of Maine. roadworthy. His current vehicle now and IDEA, to expand access to quality
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- has over 100,000 miles, and soon he will early childhood education and commu-
ator from Maine. need a new one. He told me that pur- nity schools, and to ensure higher edu-
AUTO FOR VETERANS ACT chasing a new van will cost him well cation is accessible for everyone.
Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, last over $50,000, which is more than he paid The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
week, I was pleased to join my col- for his home in rural Maine. This is an ator from Washington.
league from West Virginia, Senator enormous burden on our disabled vet- Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I
JOE MANCHIN, in introducing the Ad- erans who need to purchase expensive rise today to voice my strong support
vancing Uniform Transportation Op- adaptive vehicles in order to drive safe- for Dr. Cardona’s nomination to serve
portunities for Veterans Act, better ly or to drive at all. as Secretary of Education.
known as the AUTO for Veterans Act. Madam President, I feel like I am Across the country, students, par-
I am pleased that Senators BOOZMAN, preaching to the choir here. Our Nation ents, and educators are in crisis. Every
HASSAN, and BLUNT have joined as owes our veterans such an enormous day without an experienced leader at
original cosponsors. debt. It is a debt that truly can never the Department of Education is a day
Our bill would lessen the financial be fully repaid. Let’s honor our com- that we are losing precious ground.
burden on severely disabled veterans mitment to our veterans by continuing Back in my home State of Washington,
who require special adaptive equip- to support their needs, including the I heard from a mother in Yakima
ment to drive a motor vehicle. It would needs of veterans who are disabled and whose children shared one iPhone to
do so by increasing access to the De- need this adaptive technology for their learn. I heard from a father of a high
partment of Veterans Affairs auto- vehicles long after they have been dis- school freshman in Spokane, worried
mobile grant program. charged or retire from Active Duty. about the social and psychological toll
This is a simple bill, but it is a bill
The VA currently provides eligible the pandemic is taking on his son. I
that would make such a difference for
veterans with a one-time grant of ap- heard from students at the Lummi Na-
so many of our disabled veterans who
proximately $21,400 to be used to pur- tion, trying to focus on remote classes
need vehicles with adaptive equipment
chase a new or used automobile and while in multigenerational households
so that they can drive themselves and
necessary adaptive equipment, such as on a shared, spotty broadband.
drive safely. The AUTO for Veterans
specialized pedals and switches. This I know there are so many similar sto-
Act is an important step that we can
grant is often used in conjunction with ries from people in my State and across
take to meet this need and help those
the VA’s special adaptive equipment the country about how this pandemic
who have made so many sacrifices to
grants, which help our veterans pur- is making life harder, the ways it has
serve our Nation.
chase additional adaptive equipment, I urge all of my colleagues to join us set back students from where they
such as powered lifts, for example, for in helping our Nation’s veterans by would be in a typical year, denied them
an existing automobile to make it safe supporting this bill. access to critical school resources,
and feasible for a veteran with disabil- Thank you. deepened longstanding inequities, and
ities. NOMINATION OF MIGUEL A. CARDONA so much more.
Although veterans can receive mul- Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, From early education to higher edu-
tiple special adaptive equipment grants after 4 years of Secretary DeVos’ ef- cation, we need to make sure students
over the course of their lives, for some forts to promote greater privatization and their families have the support
reason they are limited to just a single of our education system and dismantle they need to not only get a high-qual-
automobile grant. The current limita- the civil rights of students, Miguel ity education but to make sure every
tion fails to take into account that a Cardona is the person we need to re- student can try.
veteran is likely to need more than one store the promise of America’s schools. Democrats want to get students safe-
vehicle in his or her lifetime. In fact, A former public school teacher who ly back in the classrooms for in-person
the Department of Transportation re- went on to be a leader in the same dis- learning as soon as possible. So I am
ports that, in 2019, the average age of a trict where he was once an English glad the Biden administration put for-
household vehicle was 11.8 years, and a learner, Dr. Cardona has demonstrated ward clear, science-based, public health
vehicle that has been modified struc- a lifelong commitment to our public guidance schools have long needed.
turally tends to have a shorter useful schools and the belief that all children There is no one solution that will en-
life. are entitled to a quality education in a sure safety on its own as our country
According to the VA independent safe and nurturing learning environ- ramps up vaccine distribution.
budget prepared by Disabled American ment. He also has a proven track Congress has to do its part and pass
Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of Amer- record of effectively responding to the the American Rescue Plan to provide
ica, and the VFW, the substantial costs pandemic, helping students overcome vital funding for schools—to secure
of modified vehicles, coupled with in- the digital divide, and safely reopening adequate PPE, to reduce class sizes to
flation, present a financial hardship for schools as the Connecticut Education increase social distancing, to improve
many disabled veterans who need to re- Commissioner. ventilation and contract tracing, and
place their primary mode of transpor- The pandemic has upended our edu- to take all the steps they need to do so
tation once their car or van or truck cation system, disrupting learning and that they can safely reopen for in-per-
reaches its lifespan. The National exacerbating inequities. From day one son learning or provide high-quality
Highway Traffic Safety Administration as Secretary of the Department of Edu- distance learning if it is not safe in
estimates that a new vehicle modified cation, Dr. Cardona will need to be pre- their community to return to the
with adaptive equipment will cost any- pared to meet the challenges facing our classroom and so that they can assess
where from $20,000 to $80,000. These are students and educators, from address- and address the damage this pandemic
significant costs for a veteran with dis- ing learning loss and social, emotional, has done, especially the way it has
abilities to incur to replace his or her and mental health to reversing declin- deepened inequities that have hurt stu-
primary mode of transportation. That ing higher education enrollment rates dents of color, students of families
is why veterans should be eligible to and a sky-rocketing affordability cri- with low incomes, students with dis-
receive a vehicle grant every 10 years sis. Additionally, as deep disparities abilities, LGBTQ students, women,
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
and our legislation, the Collins- continue to shortchange low-income English learners, students experiencing
Manchin bill, would do just that. students, students of color, and stu- homelessness, and so much more.
A Maine veteran whom I know well, dents with disabilities, Dr. Cardona At this moment of crisis, Dr. Cardona
Neal Williams of Shirley, ME, used a will be a key partner in working to- is exactly the leader we need at the De-
VA automobile grant in 1999 to pur- ward closing these funding and edu- partment of Education to tackle these
chase an adaptive vehicle, a Ford cational opportunity gaps. challenges. During his confirmation
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