[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 21, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H9919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              POSTAL SERVICE ELECTRIC VEHICLE ACQUISITION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the Postal Service on its recent announcement to purchase 
a new vehicle fleet, 75 percent of which will be electric vehicles. I 
also rise to thank President Biden for his vision that led this country 
to that decision.
  Yesterday's announcement by the Postal Service would not have been 
possible without the steadfast efforts of the Biden-Harris 
administration, including the landmark legislation President Biden 
signed into law earlier this year, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the 
postal reform legislation, which I authored.
  I personally thank President Biden for his important leadership on 
this issue. His efforts to ensure that our Federal fleets, particularly 
the Postal Service fleet, transition to electric vehicles as soon as 
possible are a critical step to a cleaner environment and a more 
sustainable future for all Americans.
  As chair of the Oversight and Reform Committee, electrifying the 
Postal Service fleet has been one of my top priorities for the last 
several years. I have spoken and written to the Postmaster General 
numerous times about the importance of adopting an all-electric fleet, 
and the committee has held briefings and hearings several times on this 
issue.
  The Postal Service operates a fleet of nearly 230,000 cars and 
trucks. That is roughly one-third of the entire Federal fleet. It is 
the second largest fleet in our Nation and should set the standard for 
this Nation.
  Unfortunately, this fleet is rapidly aging, with many vehicles 
already more than three decades old. The old postal trucks are often 
unsafe, have high maintenance costs, and get terrible gas mileage.
  We cannot afford to continue polluting our environment with 
unnecessary carbon. This is simply unacceptable. We are in the middle 
of a climate crisis. The Federal Government should be leading the 
charge to reduce carbon emissions and green its fleets.
  That is why I am elated the Postal Service has made the decision to 
acquire 45,000 electric next-generation delivery vehicles and an 
additional 21,000 other electric delivery cars and trucks between now 
and 2028.
  I applaud the Postal Service for its commitment to purchasing only 
electric next-generation delivery vehicles after 2026, which is part of 
President Biden's vision for the future. This is a win for the Postal 
Service, the climate, and, most importantly, the American people.
  This critical investment would not have been possible without the $3 
billion President Biden championed and Congress provided in the 
Inflation Reduction Act. These funds will help purchase these vehicles 
and build the infrastructure necessary to support them.
  These purchases will make the Postal Service a global leader in the 
adoption of electric vehicles and sets an example for other Federal 
agencies and the private sector as they develop their future fleets. 
They are also a testament to President Biden's efforts to prioritize 
the climate and make the world safer and more secure for future 
generations.
  I commend the Postal Service for making this decision, and I look 
forward to the steps Congress and the administration will continue to 
take to protect our planet and to green our planet. This is a great 
step forward for a cleaner and better environment.

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