Washington DC – Today, TTD President Edward Wytkind dismissed the proposal by House Republican leaders to abolish Saturday mail delivery to close the funding gap in the Highway Trust Fund:
“Abolishing Saturday mail delivery to pay for the funding shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund is a non-starter and should be dead on arrival. Instead of offering a responsible plan to fund our immediate and long-term surface transportation funding needs, Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor and Majority Whip McCarthy have put forth a misguided proposal that risks further delay in addressing the trust fund’s anticipated insolvency.
“We agree with the critical need to avoid a summer default of the Highway Trust Fund that will put thousands on the employment line and harm businesses across America. And finding additional revenues to pass a longer-term bill that puts Americans back to work rebuilding, modernizing and operating our decaying transportation system is essential work that Congress must complete. But attempting to use supposed “savings” from eliminating mail service makes absolutely no sense. Not only would this proposal cut up to 80,000 good-paying jobs including postal employees represented by TTD unions, but we question whether the promised revenues would actually materialize. More to the point, offering a politically toxic and flawed proposal will only distract and delay serious policy makers from solving this funding crisis that, if left unaddressed, promises to crater our economy.
“It is disappointing that House Republican leaders have resurrected a strategy – taken right out of the failed playbook from last Congress – of funding surface transportation needs on the backs of workers who have nothing to do with the funding shortfalls we face. More recently, Congress has demonstrated that Republicans and Democrats can come together on efforts to boost investment in our ports and waterways – essential avenues of commerce and transportation. We hope that House members will once again choose a path of consensus on major transportation funding issues and reject this dangerous plan that will do nothing to fix the nation’s severe transportation challenges.”
CONTACT: Alison Omens, aomens@outreachstrategies.com, 202-507-4843