[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2743-H2746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1430
   SENSE OF HOUSE THAT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SHOULD RECTIFY MILITARY 
                       POSTAL SYSTEM DEFICIENCIES

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 608) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the Department of Defense should rectify 
deficiencies in the military postal system to ensure that members of 
the Armed Forces stationed overseas are able to receive and send mail 
in a timely manner as well as receive and send election ballots in time 
to be counted in the 2004 elections.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 608

       Whereas the members of the Armed Forces who are currently 
     serving in very dangerous regions of the world deserve a 
     modernized military postal system capable of improving the 
     delivery and tracking of mail to United States forces serving 
     in remote locations;
       Whereas the current system relies on outmoded and labor 
     intensive manual sorting processes that result in undue 
     delays and the inability of the Department of Defense to 
     track mail and determine the timeliness of mail delivery;
       Whereas the manual sorting of mail intended for deployed 
     members of the Armed Forces unnecessarily requires hours of 
     labor from many troops, which could be used for other, more 
     critical, duties if automation were used;
       Whereas the very least our Nation can do for the members of 
     our Armed Forces who are deployed halfway around the world 
     and risking their lives to protect our freedoms is to ensure 
     that they are able to receive the comfort of a letter from 
     those waiting at home;
       Whereas mail destined for deployed members of the Armed 
     Forces that is delayed for long periods of time, or not 
     delivered at all, negatively affects the morale of our 
     deployed forces and their families at home;
       Whereas the members of our Armed Forces have an 
     unquestionable right to vote in the upcoming election, and 
     the military postal system must not disenfranchise any 
     military absentee voters because of delays in transmitting 
     voting materials;
       Whereas with the current military postal system it is not 
     possible to determine the rate of ``Undeliverable as 
     Addressed'' mail, it is therefore not possible to guarantee 
     that all United States forces wishing to vote will be able to 
     do so;

[[Page H2744]]

       Whereas according to the recent General Accounting Office 
     Report entitled ``Operation Iraqi Freedom: Long-standing 
     Problems Hampering Mail Delivery Need to be Resolved,'' many 
     of the same problems that plagued the military postal system 
     during Operation Desert Storm have continued unabated and are 
     now being experienced in Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 
     12 years later;
       Whereas according to the same General Accounting Office 
     report, the Department of Defense does not have the ability 
     to adequately assess the timeliness of mail and election 
     ballot delivery because it does not have a reliable, accurate 
     system in place;
       Whereas according to the same General Accounting Office 
     report, more than half of sampled members of the Armed Forces 
     were dissatisfied with mail delivery, many waiting 4 weeks or 
     longer to receive mail;
       Whereas recent samplings of mail intended for deployed 
     members of the Armed Forces shows that a percentage far 
     exceeding the standard set for domestic mail is 
     ``Undeliverable as Addressed'' and indicates that a large 
     portion of our deployed troops are not receiving their mail;
       Whereas the Military Postal Service Agency does not have 
     the authority to formulate and effectively implement a joint 
     service solution to the mail problems in the Iraq Theatre and 
     the Department of Defense has not appointed a single agency 
     to address military postal matters;
       Whereas the recent court action in the United States 
     District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which 
     granted the government's request to extend Pennsylvania's 
     deadline for receipt of ballots from qualified overseas 
     voters, correctly recognizes that mail operations can 
     significantly impact voting rights and, in addition, is 
     sufficient forewarning that the military mail system needs to 
     be resolved before the next election; and
       Whereas for at least 52 years, reformers have been 
     attempting to improve the ability of the members of our Armed 
     Forces to vote, as evidenced by a letter from President Harry 
     S. Truman to Congress, dated from 1952, which clearly echoes 
     the challenges we face: ``Many of those in uniform are 
     serving overseas, or in parts of the country distant from 
     their homes. They are unable to return to their States either 
     to register or to vote. Yet these men and women who are 
     serving their country and in many cases risking their lives, 
     deserve above all others to exercise the right to vote in 
     this election year. At a time when these young people are 
     defending our country and its free institutions, the least we 
     at home can do is to make sure that they are able to enjoy 
     the rights they are being asked to fight to preserve.'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of House of Representatives 
     that--
       (1) it is in the interest of the United States to 
     immediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery 
     problems so that our troops may receive mail from their 
     families when they most need it;
       (2) it is in the interest of the United States to 
     immediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery 
     problems so that our troops are not disenfranchised in the 
     2004 election;
       (3) the Secretary of Defense should establish a system that 
     expedites the delivery of election ballots to the members of 
     our Armed Forces so that they may be counted in the election;
       (4) the Secretary of Defense should establish a system that 
     accurately tracks military postal transit times; and
       (5) the House of Representatives stands ready to assist in 
     resolving these issues.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. 
Bordallo) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes).


                             General Leave

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in the face of insurgencies in Fallujah and other hot 
spots in Iraq, what is it that keeps our soldiers fighting for freedom 
and democracy?
  In addition to the trials of war, our soldiers in Iraq wake up with 
the same problems every other American has. Their lives at home did not 
stop when they received their orders to ship out. They are mothers and 
fathers. They have elderly parents to care for. They have bills to pay 
and college educations to worry about for their children. These 
soldiers are concerned about how their children are doing in school. 
They wonder what the score of the last Little League game was, and they 
question whether they can make that car payment, just like many of us. 
Only they do all this halfway around the world in a combat zone.
  And yet day after day, month after month, our service members wake 
up, put on their uniform, and they diligently do their duty. Every day 
they make this sacrifice, knowing they are risking their lives to 
protect our freedoms and spread democracy. The reason they do this is 
because they know they are building a safer Iraq and, simply put, a 
safer Iraq means a safer America for their families.
  Ask these soldiers what they look forward to the most and what keeps 
them steadfast, and they will tell us it is news from home. It is the 
news from a graduation they were unable to attend, an update on a sick 
friend, a baby picture of their child's first step. Yet many are not 
getting this news or are getting it far after it was mailed by their 
loved ones. A General Accounting Office report received last month 
found that of a survey of over 100 service members in Iraq, more than 
half reported they were dissatisfied with mail delivery.
  The report, issued in response to over 300 congressional and White 
House inquiries, also found the same problems that plagued the military 
postal system during Operation Desert Storm have continued unabated and 
are now being experienced in Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 12 
years later.
  The Department of Defense does not have the ability to adequately 
assess the timeliness of mail and election ballot delivery because it 
does not yet have a reliable, accurate system in place.
  More than half of sampled members of the Armed Forces were 
dissatisfied with mail delivery, many waiting 4 weeks or longer to 
receive mail.
  The Military Postal Service Agency does not have the authority to 
formulate and effectively manipulate and implement a joint service 
solution to the mail problems in the Iraq Theater, and the Department 
of Defense has not appointed a single agency to address all of these 
military postal matters.
  This is just unacceptable at this time. The very least we should be 
able to offer those soldiers fighting for democracy is the comfort of a 
note from those waiting at home. Mail that is delayed for long periods 
of time, or not delivered at all, negatively affects the morale of not 
only our deployed forces but also their families at home. Children at 
home need to hear why Mommy or Daddy is so far away. Husbands and wives 
need to hear of each others' love and support. The American public 
needs to hear the true stories of what we are doing in Iraq. It is now, 
while resolve against terrorism is being tested, that our deployed 
troops are in most need of mail from their loved ones.
  This is not just a morale problem, however. November is coming and in 
less than 7 months, ballots for the general election will be mailed out 
all over the country to our troops all over the world.
  If we fail to take action, we will again see the voting problems of 
the 2000 election. Our men and women on the front lines have 
unquestionably earned the right to express their views on the direction 
our Nation should take this November. They should have the same 
confidence of any other American that their ballot will reach the 
ballot box. It would be an enormous disservice to fail to count the 
voices of the very individuals fighting for democracy.
  This is not a new problem. We saw it in Operation Desert Storm. It 
was evident early in the war in Iraq, and we are seeing it now. It is 
vitally important to the success of our mission and to the strength of 
our democracy that we correct this problem.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 608 seeks to do the following: call on 
the Department of Defense to immediately address the longstanding 
military mail delivery problems by implementing a joint task force to 
resolve the problem; recommend that the Secretary of Defense establish 
a system to expedite military ballots for the November 2004, election; 
call on the Secretary of Defense to establish a system to accurately 
track military postal transit times.
  There are three important reasons why we need to pass this resolution 
today. First, we need to send a message to the Pentagon that it is time 
to take

[[Page H2745]]

care of this problem. The problem has existed for 52 years, and we need 
to send a message that we need to fix it today. Second, our troops in 
Iraq need to know that we think that it is important that they get 
their mail and equally important that their family members know that we 
care about their loved ones and that they get their mail. And third, we 
need to make certain that our electoral system is not just for 
Americans who happen to be near the ballot box, but that our troops on 
the front lines deserve to vote as much as any other American.
  To guarantee that our military men and women in Iraq receive their 
mail will require shifting priorities. It will require the dedicated 
cooperation and swift action of many. But if we can root out Saddam 
Hussein, if we can rebuild a nation of terror into a nation of freedom, 
then we can get the troops the news they need from home. It is up to 
the Department of Defense to fix this longstanding problem, but we 
stand ready to help. We stand behind our troops and behind our military 
families, and we stand ready to help them stay the course.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of House Resolution 608 introduced by the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Forbes). I would like to recognize the gentleman for 
his work and interest in ensuring that our military service members 
stationed overseas are afforded the right to vote.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the 
gentlwoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who joined with me in cosponsoring House 
Resolution 608. The postal service is an integral part of the American 
existence and something that we often take for granted. To the men and 
women in uniform serving overseas, however, it is a vital connection to 
home, and they treasure the ability to send and receive packages and 
letters.
  This resolution, Mr. Speaker, draws attention to the continuing 
problem of ensuring that members of the Armed Forces stationed overseas 
have access to mail and that they will be able to send in their 
election ballots in a timely manner. It would be a real shame if our 
servicemen and women who are fighting to bring democracy to places like 
Afghanistan and Haiti were themselves denied the opportunity to cast 
their own vote in November due to a postal delay.
  The 2000 Presidential election brought to the Nation's attention the 
voting barriers that service members and other Americans stationed or 
living overseas face in the electoral process. Service members living 
and deployed abroad often find it difficult to exercise their right to 
vote. Problems with mail delivery, requirements for valid ballots, and 
just obtaining information is a serious challenge, particularly for 
those who may be deployed on a submarine for 6 months or are stationed 
in remote areas around the world.
  To ensure that voting rights of service members and Americans serving 
and living abroad were protected, Congress implemented a number of 
improvements to the voting process several years ago. The law was 
changed to improve the system and enhance the opportunity for overseas 
service members to participate in the electoral process. For example, 
clarification was provided on voting assistance programs; annual 
reviews of the effectiveness and compliance by the Department of 
Defense Inspector General are required; the importance of voting 
assistance officers was stressed; military personnel have been afforded 
guaranteed residency; voter registration and absentee ballot 
application procedures were simplified; and authority for service 
members to use a single application for all subsequent elections was 
provided.
  However, Mr. Speaker, this year's annual review by the Department of 
Defense Inspector General found that while improvements have been made, 
opportunities exist to improve the DOD voting assistance program. The 
IG found that the Services need to continue to provide command emphasis 
and improve oversight of the program, as problems still remain.
  The General Accounting Office, or more commonly referred to as GAO, 
also recently conducted a review of the mail delivery to troops serving 
in Operation Iraqi Freedom and found that while some improvements have 
been made, many, many of the same difficulties the mail system faced 
during the first Gulf War, over a decade ago, still exist today. For 
example, GAO found that problems still exist in conducting joint 
service mail operations and that inadequate training and late 
deployments, as well as inadequate postal facilities, equipment, and 
transportation, have had an adverse impact on the delivery of mail. My 
constituents often have particular difficulty getting mail delivered as 
the regular service to Guam is lengthy and erratic. In the field there 
is often confusion as to whether Guam is included in domestic mail 
rates, which of course it is.
  I had one soldier e-mail me from Iraq, telling me he was made to pay 
for postage while everyone else was able to mail for free. These are 
the kinds of inconsistencies that the military postal service should 
examine and rectify.
  While challenges still remain for overseas and military voters, it is 
interesting to note that absentee service members consistently vote at 
a higher rate than those eligible in the United States. However, it is 
vitally important that we ensure that those who volunteer to serve our 
Nation in uniform are able to exercise one of their most basic rights, 
and that, Mr. Speaker, is the right to vote.
  As a member of the Total Force Subcommittee, I also want to reassure 
my colleagues that the subcommittee shares the concerns that are raised 
in this resolution, and we will address these issues in the defense 
authorization that will be marked up tomorrow.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her work on this 
resolution and her support today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. Hefley), the distinguished chairman of the Readiness 
Subcommittee of the House Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Forbes) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 608. Few 
things boast morale in a war zone more than receiving a card, a letter, 
or a care package from a loved one from back home. And, unfortunately, 
as more and more men and women in uniform are deployed in support of 
operations in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom, we are hearing countless 
stories of delays in service members receiving their mail.
  On March 24 of this year, the General Accounting Office testified 
that some of the problems that existed during Operation Desert Storm in 
1991 are occurring now in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the GAO, 
the current system of delivering mail to service members relies on 
outmoded and labor-intensive manual sorting processes that result in 
undue delays. Furthermore, the Department of Defense is unable to track 
mail and determine the timeliness of deliveries. And since we have 
known of the problem for so long and we have not gotten it fixed, it 
tells me that it is not a very high priority of the Department of 
Defense; and I think that is what this resolution does, is tell the 
Department of Defense we think this is important and it ought to be a 
higher priority.
  Compounding this situation is the issue of service members serving in 
war zones that are not able to vote, and we have heard other speakers 
before me talk about this, but it is serious and it is important. 
Currently 29 States require absentee ballots to be mailed and returned 
to the U.S. Postal Service. Since these service members will not be 
able to utilize fax machines or the Internet to send their ballots, and 
given the delays in the Department of Defense's mail service, there is 
a real possibility of a repeat of the military absentee ballot fiasco 
of the 2000 general election. The potential disenfranchisement of 
military voters is simply unacceptable.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 608 would require the Secretary of 
Defense to establish a system that expedites the delivery of election 
ballots to members of the Armed Forces.

[[Page H2746]]

                              {time}  1445

  Additionally, H. Res. 608 would require the Secretary of Defense to 
establish a mail delivery system that accurately tracks military postal 
transmit times, ensuring servicemembers will not have to wait weeks or 
months to receive a long-awaited letter or package from home.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a problem that must be fixed now, both for the 
morale of the troops and to ensure that our service men and women are 
given every opportunity to exercise the voting rights they serve to 
defend. This is why I rise today in support of H. Res. 608.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish at this time to urge my colleagues to support H. 
Res. 608. I do want to take this opportunity to thank the distinguished 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) for sponsoring this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I can just tell you this afternoon that if you asked any 
soldier, sailor, airman or Marine serving in the Iraq theater what is 
most important to the morale and welfare of our forces, the answer you 
will get from them, and you are likely to hear, is mail from home.
  The very least our Nation can do for our servicemembers who are 
deployed halfway around the world risking their lives to protect our 
freedoms is to ensure that they are able to receive the comfort of a 
letter from those waiting at home. Now is when our deployed troops need 
to get mail from their loved ones most.
  A recent Chicago Tribune article from May 6 gives real-life examples 
of why that is so important. One volunteer with Support our Troops 
Illinois knows the military postal service well. She has mailed out 
over 2,000 care packages to deployed servicemembers. Now, many of them 
are stacked up on her front doorstep because they were 
``undeliverable.'' She said of the service that she has gotten from the 
military postal system, ``It is disappointing, because we know how much 
of a morale boost mail can give the guys.''
  Another recent news article stated that the Marines look forward to 
the nightly mail call because for most it is the only way they can 
receive a word from home. The article goes on to quote a Marine who 
says, ``My wife sent me seven boxes, and I've only received one.'' He 
went on to say that ``the first letter I received from my wife was 
number six. Since then, I have received five and seven, but I have no 
idea what happened to the rest.''
  Mail that is delayed for long periods of time or not delivered at all 
negatively affects the morale of not only our deployed forces, but also 
their families at home. We owe it to our deployed troops to immediately 
improve the military postal system so that these problems do not 
continue. We heard from the gentleman from Colorado the importance of 
getting this fixed for the voting issues that will come up.
  Mr. Speaker, I will just close by telling you that this is a problem 
that began the year I was born. In 1952 a letter from President Harry 
S. Truman to Congress clearly echoed the challenges that we face still 
today. He said this: ``Many of those in uniform are serving overseas, 
or in parts of the country distant from their homes. They are unable to 
return to their States, either to register or to vote. Yet these men 
and women who are serving their country and in many cases risking their 
lives deserve above all others to exercise the right to vote in the 
election year. At a time when these young men and women are defending 
our country and its free institutions, the least we at home can do is 
to make sure that they are able to enjoy the rights they are being 
asked to fight to preserve.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to pass this resolution and to correct this 
problem. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 608 which states that it is in the interest of the United 
States to immediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery 
problems so that our Armed Forces may properly receive their mail and 
that their participation in the 2004 elections be ensured. Proper mail 
delivery is a hallmark of our nation, it a form of infrastructure that 
allows our nation to communicate freely. Therefore, we cannot allow our 
Armed Forces to have a mail delivery system that is in any way inferior 
to the one provided to all other Americans.
  I want to thank Representative Forbes of the Armed Services Committee 
for bringing this matter to the floor. There are many reasons why 
proper mail delivery is essential for our Armed Forces. The most 
evident reason is that the members of our Armed Forces deserve to know 
that their correspondence is secure. The transmittal and receipt of 
mail is the most basic link that our brave men and women fighting 
abroad have to their loved ones back home. Often, due to the rigors of 
their duty, mail is the only form of communication our soldiers have 
access to. Furthermore, our Armed Forces often have lives back home 
that they leave to fight abroad. This means they have affairs they must 
put in order and again the mail is the most commonly used way to attend 
to these affairs. Of course, it is more difficult to ensure proper mail 
delivery to our Armed Forces since many of them are stationed abroad 
and often in places of conflict. However, while ensuring proper mail 
delivery to our Armed Forces is more difficult, it is far from 
impossible. Indeed, it is frustrating that while private mail delivery 
companies can guarantee international delivery of packages within a 
matter of a few days we cannot ensure proper delivery of mail to our 
men and women fighting abroad.
  Perhaps more disturbing than the idea of personal correspondence 
being mishandled, is the idea that members of our Armed Forces could 
effectively be excluded from participating in the upcoming elections 
because of a questionable mail delivery system. Members of the Armed 
Forces stationed abroad must vote by absentee ballots, which require 
proper mail delivery in order to guarantee that those votes are 
counted. Especially after witnessing the closely contested 2000 
Presidential elections in which absentee ballots played a major role, 
it is inconceivable that we would allow a weakness in the system to 
continue. Just like every other American, members of our Armed Forces, 
both foreign and domestic, have a right to know that both their mail 
and their ballot are secure and accounted for.
  It is time that we fully modernize the system being used to deliver 
and receive mail to our Armed Forces. The current system is often 
unreliable and highly labor intensive. In fact, the current system does 
not even allow us to know how much mail goes undelivered. Our Armed 
Forces deserve better; furthermore, they need a better system, for the 
effective flow of communication is essential in all sectors and the 
Armed Forces are no different. It is time that we help create a more 
modern and effective postal system for our Armed Forces.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 608.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________