[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22291-22296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT MEN AND WOMEN OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE 
HAVE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF DELIVERING THE MAIL DURING THIS TIME OF 
                           NATIONAL EMERGENCY

  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 257) expressing the sense of 
the Congress that the men and women of the United States Postal Service 
have done an outstanding job of delivering the mail during this time of 
national emergency, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 257

       Whereas, on September 11, 2001, evil acts of terrorism were 
     perpetrated against the people of the United States and all 
     humanity;
       Whereas, in October 2001, reports of anthrax-tainted 
     letters began to surface;

[[Page 22292]]

       Whereas the United States Postal Service handles 
     approximately 680,000,000 pieces of mail each day;
       Whereas our Nation's postal and delivery sector accounts 
     for approximately 8 percent of our gross national product;
       Whereas, since September 11, 2001, the United States Postal 
     Service has delivered more than 20,000,000,000 pieces of 
     mail;
       Whereas 2 employees of the United States Postal Service 
     have died as a result of anthrax infection;
       Whereas a number of employees of the United States Postal 
     Service are being treated for anthrax-like symptoms;
       Whereas the more than 800,000 men and women who work for 
     the United States Postal Service have done an outstanding job 
     of collecting, processing, sorting, and delivering the mail 
     during this time of national emergency; and
       Whereas the delivery of anthrax through the mail is an 
     attempt to disrupt our ability to communicate through the 
     mail, and threatens the viability of the postal system: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That--
       (1) it is the sense of the Congress that the men and women 
     of the United States Postal Service have done an outstanding 
     job of collecting, processing, sorting, and delivering the 
     mail during this time of national emergency; and
       (2) Congress will work with the United States Postal 
     Service to assure the safety and well-being of postal workers 
     as they carry out their duties and responsibilities, and of 
     the general public.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).


                             General Leave

  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on the concurrent resolution now being considered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H. Con. Res. 257, as introduced by the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis), expresses the sense of Congress that the men and 
women of the United States Postal Service have done an outstanding job 
delivering the mail during this time of national emergency. I am very, 
very pleased, as I know the gentleman from Illinois is, that 47 of our 
colleagues here in the House have cosponsored this resolution, 
signifying a broad base of support and recognition of the great 
sacrifices and contributions that these people make, certainly in 
recent weeks but, in point of fact, each and every day. We are amending 
this bill this afternoon, Madam Speaker, with a clarifying change in 
order to recognize all aspects of the postal system such as collection, 
processing, sorting, as well as delivery.
  Let me begin by complimenting again the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis). I deeply appreciate his leadership, his understanding of the 
very appropriate nature of moving forward with this resolution at this 
time. Let me note as well that it is not just appropriate, but I think 
it is also very fitting, that the House consider this resolution 
honoring the dedicated people of the Postal Service in this, the same 
week as we have celebrated and observed our national holiday on 
Veterans' Day.
  As they have literally for centuries, postal employees today are 
putting their lives on the line each and every day for those of us in 
America. It is their commitment to this job that is ensuring our Nation 
can continue to communicate through these difficult times by way of the 
mail. We as a House grieve for the Postal Service, which lost 2 of its 
own dedicated, devoted employees to inhaled anthrax, resulting from the 
bioterrorism attacks of recent days. Postal workers Thomas Morris and 
Joseph Curseen truly died in the line of duty, and I know we all join 
in expressing our most heartfelt sympathy and deepest words of 
appreciation to their families and to their loved ones in this time of 
great loss for them.
  From the days of Ben Franklin to the high speeds of the information 
highway, the Postal Service has touched the lives of each of us, 
whether at home or at work, nearly every day of the week. Postal 
employees maintain an important presence in our busiest urban centers 
as well as our most tranquil rural communities. They are the friendly 
faces that deliver that special birthday card, the newest magazine or, 
quite often, the credit card bill. Yet, many of us, Madam Speaker, fail 
to realize how important postal workers are in our daily lives, in our 
daily experiences, until someone or something interferes with that 
centuries' old system.
  Despite the terrorist attacks, the mail handlers, clerks, carriers, 
supervisors, and postmasters have delivered more than 20 billion pieces 
of mail since the terrorist attacks of September 11. A recent postal 
and delivery industry report found that an $871 billion global business 
of mailing service providers has been built around the mail. Ninety 
percent of that money is earned in the United States or by U.S.-based 
organizations. This industry, taken collectively, has almost 9 million 
employees. Based on these statistics, the total mailing sector is 
roughly 8 percent of America's gross national product. Just in my State 
of New York alone, the annual mailing industry impact totals some $64.7 
billion.
  Yet, in spite of this enormous impact and of the continuing 
outstanding service to our Nation provided by postal employees, we 
would be negligent if we did not recognize that the Postal Service is 
facing a worsening financial position, threatening its very viability. 
Even before September 11, the Comptroller General had placed the Postal 
Service on its high-risk list due to its financial and operational 
problems. The Postal Service is facing a $1.8 billion deficit now, on 
top of the $1.35 billion estimated deficit it ran in the fiscal year 
that just ended. Revenues were below projections by $627 million in the 
last 2 months alone. Mail volumes are down by levels not seen since the 
Great Depression.
  I know, Madam Speaker, that the Postal Service and its administration 
is resolute in meeting its challenges, as its employees that we have 
gathered here to honor and commemorate demonstrate to us each and every 
day. However, in my opinion, Madam Speaker, without modernizing our 
Nation's 31-year-old postal laws, the men and women of the Postal 
Service will have far too few tools to confront a growing challenge. 
The Postal Service is already requesting billions of dollars in 
Congress to deal with the crisis; but absent legislative change, the 
agency will likely have to return for ever-increasing taxpayer 
assistance.
  As President Vincent Sombrotto of the National Association of Letter 
Carriers recently stated, ``If this whole institution collapses, that 
is as great a threat to the individuals who work in the Postal Service 
as contracting this anthrax. Their future is at stake.''
  That is why at this moment when we honor and recognize the Nation's 
postal employees, I am very pleased to note the work that the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Davis); the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the 
chairman of the full committee; the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Waxman), the ranking member, and others, including myself, have 
undertaken to try to produce a substantive draft bill to reform the 
Postal Service. I know the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) shares 
my commitment to the men and women of the Postal Service, that we in 
the Congress must do everything necessary to ensure their safety and 
well-being as they carry out their duties and responsibilities, 
particularly in this time of national emergency.
  Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with the gentleman from 
Illinois and many others to help enact postal reform. It seems to me 
the Postal Service, its 800,000 dedicated employees, and the 281 
million Americans who depend on universal service at affordable rates, 
are depending on us. Fortunately, as has existed from its founding 
days, the Postal Service has at its core men and women who each day 
make the mail work and move it to our homes, to our businesses in ways 
that far too often we take for granted.

[[Page 22293]]

  So, Madam Speaker, I certainly urge all of our colleagues to support 
this resolution with amendments to honor the men and women of the 
Postal Service who, as I have said, do such an incredible job in making 
sure that the mail arrives on time to its addresses across this great 
Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have introduced this resolution with 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), and I also want to take this 
opportunity and this moment to commend him for his leadership as he 
labored as chairman of the Postal Subcommittee before its dissolution 
and continues to be a leading voice for postal reform. Hopefully, as a 
result of his efforts and the efforts of others, we will soon see a 
postal bill that all Members of Congress can take a hard look at and 
move us in the direction that the Postal Service really needs to go.

                              {time}  1530

  I also want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton); 
the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman); the 
majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey); and the minority 
leader, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), for expediting 
consideration of this resolution.
  The resolution before us today simply honors the men and women of the 
United States Postal Service for the outstanding manner in which they 
have carried out their duties since the terrorist attacks of September 
11.
  Even though we talk about September 11, we can never forget that the 
Postal Service has kept America connected since the early days of the 
Pony Express.
  The United States Postal Service is a critical element of the 
Nation's infrastructure. It is the linchpin in the $900 billion mailing 
industry that employs 9 million people and is responsible for 8 percent 
of the gross domestic product.
  Members of the Postal Service visit our homes in rural and urban 
America 6 days a week. Through rain, sleet, snow, hot weather, shiny 
weather, they are always there. They deliver for us.
  The 800,000-plus men and women of the Postal Service are on the front 
lines of promoting freedom and democracy by binding our Nation together 
through an elaborate network that touches six major markets: retail, 
financial services, communications, advertising, logistics, and 
delivery services. They deliver for us.
  The men and women of the Postal Service handle approximately 680 
million pieces of mail each day. The Postal Service fuels the Nation's 
economy and delivers hundreds of millions of messages and billions of 
dollars of financial transactions each day to more than 8 million 
businesses.
  Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, Americans and especially 
postal workers have been confronted with a new enemy, a new challenge: 
anthrax. Enemies are seeking to disrupt our communications system by 
sending anthrax through the mail. The men and women of the Postal 
Service have continued to deliver in spite of this threat and the 
actuality of its being.
  Since September 11, the Postal Service has delivered about 34 billion 
pieces of mail. That is about five pieces for each person on Earth. 
They continue to deliver.
  Unfortunately, anthrax has touched the lives of some of our Nation's 
postal workers in a mighty and profound way. To the families of Thomas 
Morris, Jr., and Mr. Joseph Curseen, postal workers at the Brentwood 
Postal Facility who died as a result of anthrax infection, our hearts 
go out to them; and our prayers and gratitude are with them and their 
families. These two postal workers, as well as thousands and thousands 
of others, shall never be forgotten.
  I want to personally salute the more than 5,000 postal workers from 
the Seventh Congressional District in Illinois. Moreover, I urge all 
Members and all Americans to take time out to thank the men and women 
of the United States Postal Service, because they deliver for us.
  I also want to commend the American Postal Workers Union, the largest 
postal union, representing approximately 365,000 postal workers, and 
its newly elected president, Mr. William Burris, for seeking to honor 
the memory of their deceased brothers.
  The American Postal Workers Union has designated this week, the week 
of the Veterans' Day observance, as a time to properly acknowledge that 
postal workers are heroes, too. The resolution says it is time for us 
to deliver for the men and women of the post office, and the best way 
we can possibly do that is by looking at the needs, in a very serious 
way, of our postal system; by making sure that we provide resources 
that are needed to make sure that the workplace is safe; and to make 
sure that men and women who work every day handling the mail can do so 
without the fear of infection or possibly death.
  So we say to the postal workers of America, we say that we want to 
thank them for the work they have done, the work they continue to do. 
Because of them, America continues to be strong and vibrant and 
continues to be the great democracy that we know it is.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I have the privilege of yielding 3 minutes 
to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), someone who, certainly 
by experience and dedication, is a senior member of the Committee on 
Government Reform, and someone who has deservedly earned a reputation 
as a fierce defender of government employees in all branches, in all 
agencies; and certainly the Postal Service is among them.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time 
to me and for his very kind introduction.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of expressing our gratitude 
for postal workers that have done such an outstanding job of delivering 
mail during this time of national emergency.
  I do want to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh). They have both worked very, very 
hard to make sure that our postal system is solvent. I commend them for 
that.
  Indeed, with regard to this resolution, the Nation's postal workers 
provide a valuable service to Americans by helping to connect our 
society through the careful and prompt delivery of mail.
  Today, more than ever, postal workers are being recognized for their 
selfless service of delivering the Nation's mail under all 
circumstances. This includes the usual weather conditions that we have 
always associated with the Postal Service in the past. We have all 
said, ``Through wind and rain, sleet and snow,'' but now, for the first 
time, it is through safety threats against postal workers.
  In October, as reports of anthrax-tainted letters began to surface, 
postal workers' lives were placed in jeopardy and the effective 
delivery of mail was threatened. Recognizing the importance of the 
Postal Service through this legislation can help to demonstrate our 
support and concern for the safety of postal workers as they perform 
their duties.
  The anthrax threat has affected America deeply. Tragically, this has 
included the deaths of Joseph Curseen and Thomas Morris right here in 
Washington, D.C. at the Brentwood facility, who were killed in the line 
of duty. Thousands of other postal workers nationwide have been 
affected as they have been encouraged to visit hospitals to receive 
their precautionary antibiotic treatments against anthrax.
  Also, the delivery of mail has been disrupted because mail processing 
facilities were temporarily shut down while postal workers were tested 
and facilities decontaminated.
  The U.S. mail is a vital part of life in America. The Postal Service 
delivers 680 million pieces of mail daily. The anthrax threat may have 
disrupted mail service, but postal workers have persevered by 
delivering over 20 million pieces of mail since the September 11 
attacks.

[[Page 22294]]

  I support the efforts being taken to protect the lives of all the 
800,000 men and women who work for the postal service in 38,000 
offices, stations, and branches throughout the Nation. These efforts 
include increased communication and education of postal workers about 
anthrax, safety measures in handling mail, and the use of protective 
equipment.
  Our postal workers deserve our support in assuring their safety and 
well-being as they carry out their duties and responsibilities for us. 
Also, this will help restore Americans' faith in our Postal Service.
  Therefore, I urge all Members of this body to support this 
legislation that expresses our gratitude and concern for the safety of 
the men and women of the United States Postal Service, who have done 
such an outstanding job of delivering the mail during this time of 
national emergency.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I agree with President Bush and all of those who have 
referred to the postal workers at the Brentwood station as heroes.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington, 
D.C. (Ms. Norton), who represents her constituents, as well as 
representing the rest of the Nation, in an outstanding and impeccable 
way.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words and 
for his initiative on this resolution. It is the kind of initiative he 
has consistently shown since he has been a Member of Congress, and I 
appreciate the hard work of the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh). I 
bring both Members the appreciation of the residents of the District of 
Columbia, in particular.
  I have just come from the official Postal Service memorial for two 
brave and dedicated postal workers who died while getting anthrax at 
our own Brentwood Post Office. The postmaster was there, the homeland 
security Secretary was there, All Souls Unitarian Church was full of 
postal workers, and Members of Congress spoke.
  But Madam Speaker, the most touching words, the most profound 
statements, came from two men who knew the two postal workers, Joseph 
Curseen and Thomas Morris. They told us they were strong Christian men 
and dedicated postal workers.
  I read from the resolution before us today that the postal workers 
had done an outstanding job of delivering mail during this time of 
national emergency because I knew that the postal workers, there were 
so many of them there, would appreciate knowing Congress recognized 
their service during this time, and especially after two of their 
number had been among the first to fall in the homeland war.
  But I believe, Madam Speaker, that they especially appreciated 
section 2 of this resolution, which says, in so many words, that 
Congress will work with the Postal Service to assure the safety and 
well-being of our postal workers.
  Let me say how much I appreciate the efforts being taken already. The 
Postal Service has found an alternative site to Brentwood. We need to 
speed, and we are already about finding ways to assure the safety of 
postal workers and to protect people who receive mail. As Members might 
imagine, there is particular anxiety in this city about that. Whatever 
it takes, we simply must do.
  I want to bring to the Members' attention an experience I had. I was 
on my race walk on Capitol Hill, where I live, on Saturday; and I saw a 
postal worker beside his postal truck. I did what I am sure everybody 
does: I stopped to shake his hand and to say thank you.
  He said he was pleased that I took the time to do that; but he 
stopped to say to me, Congresswoman, we still do not have a labor 
contract. Madam Speaker, the National Association of Letter Carriers, 
the National Association of Rural Letter Carriers, and the American 
Postal Workers are working now without a contract.
  I have to tell the Members today, as we sat there with an overload of 
postal workers, they are not happy campers. They are frustrated 
workers. I know this resolution is much appreciated and certainly much 
deserved.
  The victims compensation amendment, which the gentleman from Missouri 
(Mr. Gephardt), our leader, introduced, and I am an original cosponsor, 
making it so victims of anthrax may also benefit from the Victims 
Compensation Fund, that is all very important. It is the kind of 
thoughtfulness this Congress has shown throughout this crisis since 
September 11.
  But Madam Speaker, all the memorials in the world, all the 
resolutions, and even this very important one, and even the funds, as 
well placed as they are, cannot do what a finished contract would do 
for these workers.
  The Postal Service is in a lot of trouble itself, so I understand why 
there are tough negotiations. Even given that, the Postal Service would 
go far in encouraging postal workers today, who still work at some 
risk, and we still cannot entirely guarantee their safety and security, 
we would go far if we would implement this resolution, because we may 
need to do so with funds, with a way to help them sign their contract 
before Christmas. That would be one way to do something for these 
hundreds of thousands of workers. If I may say so, perhaps it would be 
the most important way to do something for them.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who serves in this House as 
chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs; but in the context of 
this particular resolution, he has the honor of representing Trenton, 
New Jersey, which is home to the postal facility at Trenton, the 
processing and delivering center; and he has known firsthand the 
challenges that the threat of the current situation facing postal 
employees has wrought.
  I want to commend the gentleman for what I know has been his personal 
attention, his personal visits to that facility in this time of great 
need, to be as supportive as he possibly could. It is the kind of 
dedication that he brings to all facets of his service.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. McHugh) for his courtesy and for his excellent 
service on the committee and in the Congress, and I want to thank the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for offering this important 
resolution.
  It is extremely important that we recognize the tremendous service of 
our postal employees, especially in this time of national emergency. 
Equally important, as the second clause, and resolving clause, points 
out, we will work with the U.S. Postal Service to assure the safety and 
well-being of postal workers as they carry out their duties and 
responsibilities to the general public.
  Certainly the challenge we face now is to ensure that every piece of 
mail that goes through the system, is guaranteed to be pristine and 
clean. This will take a considerable purchase, procurement of the kind 
of detectors that exist, they are off the shelf. We need to be willing 
to make that kind of payment to ensure that every letter carrier, every 
postal worker and everyone who works within the system and everyone who 
gets mail is not going to become contaminated.
  We certainly know firsthand what that is all about in Mercer County, 
in central New Jersey, Hamilton and Trenton. In Hamilton, the John K. 
Rafferty postal facility on Route 130 was shut down and continues to be 
shut down. There have been seven people affected by anthrax in my 
state. One was not a postal worker, but she worked in the building 
complex where my district office is located. Thankfully, they have all 
made great recoveries because of the marvels of antibiotics and Cipro 
in particular.
  Again, I think by recognizing that they are on the front line, we 
need to put postal workers on a pedestal and thank them from the bottom 
of our hearts for their courage and their commitment to public service 
during these very trying times.
  I would point out that Vito Cetta, who is the postmaster in charge of 
the

[[Page 22295]]

central Jersey area, and Joe Sautello have done marvelous jobs. Yes, 
there has been second guessing from time to time. When do you close? 
When do you keep a facility open? When do you test? We were pushing 
very hard that all of the 44 different feeder sites of the main 
facility be tested. Lo and behold, when they did the testing, four of 
those sites suffered from cross-contamination, which we will all recall 
CDC and others said at the onset cannot happen. Well, it did, and there 
were areas and perhaps even people who were contaminated.
  Let me also thank Tony DiStephano, who heads up the letter carriers 
union. I met with Tony many times during this crisis, obviously many 
times before. He and the letter carriers have been tenacious. They want 
to deliver the mail, they want to do their jobs, but they want to do it 
in a way that mitigates and hopefully eliminates the possibility of 
contamination.
  Bill Lewis from the APWU has also done a great job under very, very 
trying circumstances. But they want to do their jobs. They want to be 
on the job because they know the mail moves the country. Our economy is 
absolutely dependent upon the work they do.
  Finally, I want to say I have a bill pending before the Committee on 
Financial Services that I hope will move quickly. Many people have not 
received their bills, and often when they sent in their checks, their 
remittances, they were held up getting to their Visa, credit card or 
mortgage company. This bill would establish a grace period of 30 days. 
Our hope is that this might be done voluntarily, but there are going to 
be big gaps. So hopefully this legislation will move very quickly so 
that we can ensure that people's credit histories are not penalized and 
that the finance charges are not levied against them.
  We have learned a lot from this. Again, I want to conclude by saying 
that Postmaster General Potter has been vigilant. He deserves high 
praise as well. He has convened his own group to meet, to figure out 
what the protocols ought to be when opening and closing postal 
facilities. They are literally writing the book as they go, day in and 
day out. I want to commend him for the job he is doing.
  Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding me time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).
  Ms. WATSON of California. Madam Speaker, I am proud to be one of the 
47 cosponsors of this resolution honoring our Nation's postal workers.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for 
drafting this resolution, as well as the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
McHugh) for his support.
  I grew up in the post office. My mother worked for the Postal Service 
in Los Angeles at the Old Terminal Annex for 3 decades. And as a 
working parent, one could say that she raised my sisters, my brother 
and myself there. I myself worked there for seven Christmas seasons, 
sorting the Christmas mail.
  My mother worked hard for the post office, as do all the other postal 
workers who each day labor to keep millions of letters, checks, cards, 
packages, and even bills moving around our country. These hard-working 
Americans provide a vital link for each and every community across our 
country, across our world, no matter how remote.
  One irony of the Information Age is that it has made us more 
dependent on the mail. There has to be some way to get packages we 
order over the World Wide Web; and the Postal Service has seen their 
duties expanded with the expansion of the Internet. It should come as 
no surprise then that postal workers would be on the front lines, 
exposed to a bioterrorist threat that tried to exploit our society's 
infrastructure for the free exchange of information.
  What is surprising and galling is that it took so long for the 
authorities to respond to the threat that anthrax posed to our postal 
workers. When anthrax was discovered on Capitol Hill, Congress moved 
quickly to seal off the impacted buildings and protect ourselves and 
our staff. It pains me that the authorities failed to act in a similar 
manner to protect the postal workers who faced an even greater threat 
of exposure. It took the death of postal worker Thomas Morris, Jr. for 
postal officials and law enforcement to acknowledge that they had 
failed to respond in time to the threat anthrax posed to Postal Service 
employees.
  The debate in this resolution is not the forum to analyze what went 
wrong to lead to the unnecessary deaths of Thomas Morris and the 
others, or the dangerous exposure of his colleagues to anthrax. 
However, I hope that this is an opportunity to celebrate the 
contributions of American postal workers, and I hope that with our 
greater awareness of their roles comes a renewed commitment to provide 
for their safety.
  Madam Speaker, one might remember and recall that I dedicated a post 
office in the 32nd district to our late Congressman Julian Dixon. I 
think he would be very proud of the work that is being done here with 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. McHugh) and all of the other colleagues of Congress to recognize 
our committed, loyal and dedicated postal workers.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman for his leadership on this issue, and the leadership of the 
majority, as well, on this very important issue.
  So many of us live with our Postal Service workers as neighbors. They 
are our friends. They are community activists. They help support our 
community. And I applaud this resolution to acknowledge the work that 
they have done through the years.
  In Houston, my postal workers every holiday season gather to collect 
food goods and gifts to give to the needy in our community. We have 
gone through a terrible and tragic time. But I was gratified in 
visiting the postal workers at the Franklin Street Station in Houston, 
one of the largest centers in Houston, and to hear both their concern 
as I toured their facility in the early stages of the impact of the 
anthrax threat, but also hearing their commitment to service to the 
American people.
  I too have worked for the U.S. Postal Service. It was always the 
commitment of the Postal Service, I recall, as a person growing up, 
rain or shine, the mail would go; and I recall working during the 
holiday season to ensure that that would happen. It is tragic that we 
lost two valiant lives, men that were on the front line serving their 
country and serving the American public.
  I want to say to the postal workers that as the tragedy occurred, let 
us make a commitment to you, that we will not fail you again. I believe 
that part of the tragedy was because of the lack of information and 
knowledge in the public health system about how anthrax was able to 
travel. We believed it was through an open envelope, and the envelope 
was opened in the Hart Building. But those mistakes should never be 
made ever again.
  I offer my deepest apologies and sympathy to those who lost their 
lives and their families. But it is now important for us to join 
together with the U.S. Postal Service in making sure that every 
employee has every protection that they desire and deserve. If it is 
rubber gloves and a right kind of facial mask that has been dictated by 
the science, then they should have it. If it is sanitizing all the 
mail, then they should have it. If it is closing down units because 
there has been anthrax or anything else discovered there, they should 
have it.
  As we move forward to fight terrorism as a unified nation, we must 
make sure that we commend and acknowledge those men and women who 
continue to press forward in the service of their country, our men and 
women in the military; but the U.S. Postal Service every day carries 
our economy forward and our service to those forward.
  Let me thank you very much for this legislation. I hope my colleagues 
will

[[Page 22296]]

unanimously support this very fine piece of legislation.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, in closing, let me just ask all of my colleagues and 
all Americans to remember those postal workers and others still 
suffering from inhalation of anthrax. As I understand it, we still have 
a postal worker who is hospitalized. Our thoughts and prayers go out to 
them, their families friends and coworkers.
  Madam Speaker, I also want to thank the Postmaster General for 
agreeing to work with us as we try and get a handle on how to most 
effectively and safely carry out the work of our Postal Service.
  Again, I want to thank my ranking member, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Waxman) and the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman 
Burton), who have indicated that they will be working with the National 
Academy of Sciences and the Postal Service as they convene a conference 
with a panel of experts to discuss and evaluate how to respond to 
threats in the mail. The conference, being held all day tomorrow, will 
focus the expertise of the Nation's top scientists on the biological 
threats confronting the Postal Service.
  I commend all of the unions, the letter carriers, mail handlers, 
supervisors unions as well as the APWU for the outstanding work they 
have done delivering the mail, but also for the outstanding work that 
they were doing trying to help shape a new system, trying to help make 
sure that we can reform the Postal Service so that it does not linger 
and does not have the fear of not being able to carry out its duties 
and responsibilities.
  And again, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. McHugh) for his continuing leadership. It is always indeed a 
pleasure to work with him.
  Madam Speaker, I would urge passage of this resolution.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, before I yield back the balance of my time, let me 
just say that the old saying, you do not know what you have got until 
it is gone is perhaps somewhat applicable here. Fortunately, the Postal 
Service is not gone. It is still with us. And that too is a tribute to 
these hard-working men and women who do so much for us in such an 
efficient and yet such a quiet way.

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  I do think it is unfortunate that the tragedies that we have spoken 
about here today, the loss of life, those who are still struggling to 
regain their health had to occur to make us once again appreciate the 
great job that the employees of the Postal Service do for each and 
every American in their efforts to deliver the mail.
  This resolution is, as I said earlier, a most-fitting recognition of 
that and, again, my praise and appreciation, particularly to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his leadership in that regard; 
but it seems to me that if we do not take the next step in expressing 
our concern into real ways that ensure to the greatest extent possible 
that these 800,000-plus employees are never again asked to make the 
kinds of sacrifices they have made in the past weeks, we will still 
have failed; and I know the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Burton), and so many others are anxious to work together to ensure that 
that does not happen.
  Madam Speaker, with a final sense of appreciation to those great 
employees and a final sense and word of consolation to the families of 
the two fallen postal workers, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. 
Con. Res. 257, of which I am a cosponsor.
  The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 200 billion pieces of mail 
a year and handles about 680 million pieces of mail each day. Letter 
carriers work tirelessly six days a week, providing over 136 billion 
homes and business with an invaluable service. Unfortunately, as a 
result of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the national anthrax 
scare, the U.S. Postal Service has been placed on the front lines of 
our war against terrorism. Three pieces of mail were recently confirmed 
as being contaminated with anthrax. On a grand scale, that's a low 
ratio, but not when human lives are concerned.
  The three letters exposed workers from a wide array of postal 
distribution centers to anthrax and many are being treated medically as 
a precaution. But despite the risk of anthrax infection, our Postal 
Service continues to sort the mail. 34 billion pieces of mail were 
delivered since September 11, equaling about five pieces for each 
person in the world. I visited my local postal facilities and am 
reassured by the steps they are taking to protect their workers on Long 
Island.
  This resolution, H. Con. Res. 257, commends the hard-working men and 
women of the United States Postal Service for their commitment to mail 
delivery during this time of national emergency. Postal workers are 
known for delivering mail no matter what the situation and I'm proud of 
their work in the face of terrorism.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
257, as amended.
  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. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam 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.

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