[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 3, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    CONTRACT FOR USPS FLEET VEHICLES

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise with great concern regarding the 
recently announced contract between the United States Post Office and 
Oshkosh Defense for the construction of 165,000 postal vehicles over 
the next decade, all new.
  There is no doubt our postal fleet is aging. The Grumman LLV, in 
service since 1994, is gas powered and lacks basic safety equipment 
like airbags or air conditioning.
  Unfortunately, this contract lacks any commitment to make these 
vehicles new age, either electric, hybrid, or advanced biofuels.
  While new vehicles are said to be capable of incorporating an 
electric drivetrain, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has been a 
disaster for the Postal Service, recently indicated only 10 percent of 
the new fleet will be electric. Ten percent? That makes no sense and 
flies in the face of the Biden administration's recent order to 
electrify the Federal fleet.
  DeJoy's failed tenure calls into question the awarding of this 
contract.
  As such, the administration and the Postal Service must delay the 
contract until a review is conducted to determine that there was not 
inappropriate political influence in the process and that the proposed 
contract is consistent with Biden's Executive Order on tackling the 
climate crisis.
  This contract is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity to reimagine the 
Federal fleet and develop this critical domestic supply chain. We can't 
fumble this opportunity.

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