e-Team Report, Dec. 31, 2012

New Year's Edition!

As 2012 draws to a close, we hope everyone had a joyous holiday season and we wish you all the best in the coming year!  To wrap up 2012, here are a couple updates on what’s going on in Washington and what is awaiting us in 2013 and the 113th Congress.

Santa Added House Republicans to Naughty List

Just a few short days before Christmas, it seemed that House Republicans had decided to play the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.  Shortly before recessing for the holidays, they passed a bill that would require postal and federal employees to pay five percent more toward their retirement plans, which is essentially a five percent pay cut!  This isn’t the first time House Republicans have tried to get this pay cut into law, but fortunately it is unlikely this bill will make it through the Senate and into law at this time. 
To read more about the bill, please click here.

New Members for House Postal Committee

In the last e-Team, we mentioned some changes in membership to the Senate committee responsible for postal legislation.  Now, say hello to the newest members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Congressmen-elect Marc Pocan (D-WI) and Matt Cartwright (D-PA).  At this time, House Republicans are yet to announce any changes in membership for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 
To see a full list of new committee assignments for House Democrats, please click here.

Senator Carper Launches Postal Losses Clock

One of the items hosted on the website of incoming chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), is a reminder of the unfinished work awaiting the 113th Congress when they return in January.  On his site the Senator hosts a debt clock, which counts up how much money the Postal Service has lost since the Senate passed their postal reform bill earlier this year while the House has done nothing.  The vast majority of those losses are a result of the burdensome prefund mandate, which the Senate bill addressed. 

To check out USPS losses since the Senate passed postal reform, please click here.