[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 187 (Monday, November 13, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 8, 2023

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment 
that has been included in En Bloc amendment #1 to the FY 2024 Financial 
Services and General Government Funding bill that would ensure the U.S. 
Postal Service is effectively working to protect our postal employees.
  With a continually increasing delivery network of more than 163 
million delivery points, the U.S. Postal Service delivered over 129 
billion mail pieces on more than 233,171 routes in fiscal year (FY) 
2021.
  That work would not be possible without the dedication and hard work 
of many postal employees, including letter carriers, who interact with 
the public almost every day and are a cornerstone of the service that 
Americans expect from our Postal Service.
  But that work also carries great risks for the men and women of the 
Postal Service, including assault, robberies, and even death. It was 
nearly a year ago in December 2022 that a letter carrier was killed in 
uniform in my district. My thoughts are with his family as they prepare 
to celebrate their first Thanksgiving without him.
  At a 2022 congressional hearing, Frank Albergo, national president of 
the Postal Police Officers Association testified, ``The Postal Service, 
perhaps America's most beloved federal institution, is in peril. Postal 
workers are being attacked and mail is being stolen at unprecedented 
levels.''
  Earlier this year, police in the Milwaukee area arrested and charged 
eight members of a mail theft ring, seizing six guns, a bag of opened 
mail (including personal checks made out to hundreds of different 
people), and two arrow keys. Earlier this month, at least two postal 
workers in Milwaukee were robbed at gunpoint while on duty. This 
remains an ongoing and national problem.
  These assaults, threats, and other crimes against postal employees 
directly impact mail delivery and the ability of the Postal Service to 
recruit and retain workers.
  That is why I have been pushing the Postal Service to proactively use 
all available resources and tools to better protect its employees, 
working closely with other federal, state, and local officials. And I 
know others in this body have also been pushing the Postal Service to 
do more.
  In a response to one of my inquiries on this matter this year, the 
Postal Service noted a number of steps it was taking including 
installing more theft resistant mailboxes and heightened mail theft 
prevention efforts in selected cities nationwide.
  My amendment is intended to help ensure that those measures actually 
work to effectively protect our postal employees and ensure that those 
preying on them are caught and held accountable. I am pleased that it 
was included in this En Bloc amendment. And I hope the Postal Service 
will take very seriously its charge and responsibility to the safety 
and well-being of its employees.
  Our postal employees are working hard to serve communities across our 
nation, and they deserve to be able to go to work knowing that they can 
do so safely.

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