Postal Reform Hits a Snag

No discussion of the Postal Reform Act (PRA) took place at the meeting of the Senate's Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, complicating Chairman Tom Carper's original mission to pass legislation this year. Carper (D-DE) said the bill would be discussed at the committee's November 20 meeting instead, giving Ranking Member Tom Coburn's (R-OK) absence as part of the reason.

But reasons for the delay run much deeper. The three major stakeholders in U.S. Postal Service policy—Postal Service management, unions, and mailers—remain at odds over details of the proposed Senate legislation.