NAPS Election Update - Nov.

3, 2010

GOP Tidal Wave Will Impact USPS, Postal

Issues

Riding a huge wave of anger and anti-government sentiment, the GOP reclaimed
control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, seizing potentially as many as
65 House seats. While not regaining the Senate, Republicans are on track to take
back 6 to 8 seats, giving Democrats a slimmer majority.

Poised to become the next House speaker, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) said: "Across
the country right now, we are witnessing a repudiation of Washington, a repudiation
of big government and a repudiation of politicians who refuse to listen to the
people." Exit polls (by ABC and AP) on Tuesday underscored significant voter
discontent with government.

Get Ready for Gridlock

As a result of Tuesday's results, the American electoral map, especially in the rust
belt and rural areas of the country, dramatically changed. Many of the Democrats
elected to the House for the first time in 2008 were swept out of office.
How the message sent by voters on Tuesday will translate into new legislation and
policy is murky. If initial olive branches of consensus by the President and
Republican leaders falter, Washington gridlock is the most likely outcome. While
Tuesday's outcome is a huge victory for the Republicans (the Republican House
majority will be the largest since 1928), it is not a governing majority, even in the
Congress, with Democrats still barely holding the Senate.
As Ezra Klein commented in the Washington Post: "Republicans don't fully control
Congress, so they don't have enough power to be blamed for legislative outcomes.
But Democrats don't control the House and they don't have a near-filibuster proof
majority in the Senate, so they can't pass legislation. Republicans, in other words, are
not left with the burden of governance, and Democrats are not left with the power to
govern. Republicans don't have to be responsible, and Democrats can't do it for
them."
New House Chairs Prepare to Take Control
What is certain, with Republicans gaining control of the House, is that the
chairmanships of all House committees and subcommittees will change hands. And
as the Postal Service prepares to see its leadership change hands from outgoing PMG
Jack Potter to incoming PMG Pat Donahoe, that could mean the opportunity for a
fresh start with a new set of Republican leaders. Whether Republicans are really
serious about solving the Postal Service's problems -- or more intent on simply
blaming the Obama administration for postal distress -- remains to be seen.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) will take over from Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY) the
chairmanship of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has
jurisdiction over federal civil service and postal issues. Issa in September released a
prospective outline of his priorities for the committee, focusing on issues like
stimulus spending, health care oversight, federal agency performance management
and domestic terrorism. He can be expected to issue a stream of subpoenas to
Administration witnesses in pursuit of vigorous oversight of the Obama
administration, including targets of potential government fraud, waste and abuse, like
TARP and stimulus funding.

Issa is expected to also take aim at the Postal Service and its size and profitability,
telling the Washington: "There are too many postal workers, too many distribution
centers, too many post offices and a reluctance to make those changes." Issa in recent
months has opposed proposals to grant the Postal Service more flexibility to close
post offices, set delivery schedules, raise prices above the rate of inflation and adjust
its retiree pension obligations. In September he published a Washington, depicting
legislation to adjust retiree pension obligations as a "government bailout." He also
made remarks at the Heritage Foundation that were supportive of significant
downsizing in the Postal Service, including cuts in supervisory positions.
NAPS President Louis Atkins responded to each of Issa's public statements, first
rejecting any characterization of the pension restructuring bill as a bailout, and also
saying: "Trash talk about downsizing postal workers in gargantuan terms makes for
good politics in an anti-government election season. But Congressman Issa’s
downsizing targets for the Postal Service are wildly off the mark, and so are his
numbers."
Rep. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) will be in line to take over from Rep. Stephen
Lynch (D-MA) the leadership of the House subcommittee tasked with overseeing the
federal workforce and the Postal Service, though Hill sources have suggested that
Issa may exercise his prerogative as full committee chair to retain jurisdiction over
the Postal Service at the full committee level. Chaffetz has opposed the Postal
Service's plan to curtail delivery service from six to five days, and instead
has proposed legislation to create 12 "postal holidays" each year to help the agency
cut costs. A possible run by Chaffetz in 2012 for the Utah Senate seat held by 33-
year incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) could color how Chaffetz approaches postal
and civil service issues.
On the Senate side, less change in committee chairmanships is expected, with the
Democrats likely retaining control of the chamber, though by far less. The leadership
of the Senate panel charged with oversight of the Postal Service and the civil service
-- the Homeland Security and Governmental Committee -- could see changes,
however, if its current chairman, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) crosses the aisle
and links arms with Senate Republicans, but it is still too early to tell. Sen. Susan
Collins (R-ME) will likely continue as ranking minority member of the full
committee.

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Bruce Moyer
NAPS Legislative Counsel

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