[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4206-4207]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                             POSTAL REFORM

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, there is no question the Postal Service 
faces serious challenges, and it needs to work

[[Page 4207]]

with Congress and the American people to address them.
  There are some who say that the Postal Service can cut its way out of 
its financial hole.
  The plan put forth by the Postmaster General would do just that. It 
would have a heavy impact on my State, with at least 8 processing 
facility closures and perhaps more than 250 post office closures. Under 
that plan, mail from Springfield--the State capital--would be shipped 
all the way to St. Louis, just to come back to Springfield once again.
  And these facilities are key hubs of commerce throughout the State.
  Take Quincy, IL, for example. The Postal Service had already studied 
Quincy for consolidation in 2009. At that time, the Postal Service 
found that the facility in Quincy was efficient and closing it would 
not create new efficiencies. Despite that finding, the Postmaster 
General decided to press ahead with the closure of the Quincy facility 
this year. The facts are in Quincy's favor, but it seems that the 
Postal Service only wants to cut its way to death.
  This bill is about jobs too. The Postal Service employs more than 
30,000 people in my State, from clerks, to drivers, to postmasters, to 
letter carriers, and so many more. These are not high-paying jobs, they 
are not glamorous. These are middle-class jobs that support the world's 
best postal delivery network. Nationwide, the Postal Service employs 
more than half a million people. Millions more in this country are 
employed in businesses that depend on the Postal Service.
  Given the wide-reaching impact of the Postal Service, it is clear to 
me that cutting to the bone is the wrong approach. It will lead to a 
death spiral and the eventual end of the Postal Service as we know it.
  The Postal Service must grow and reform its way into 21st century 
competitiveness. This bill is a first step toward achieving that goal. 
Brought to the floor under the leadership of Senators Lieberman and 
Collins, this bill begins the process of addressing some of the serious 
challenges facing the Postal Service. This will help USPS reduce long-
term costs, increase efficiency, and grow into a 21st century service 
provider. I think these steps can be taken while maintaining a world-
class level of service.
  There is no question there will be some short-term and long-term pain 
associated with reforming the Postal Service. Without tough choices, I 
can assure you there will be bankruptcy and the demise of the Postal 
Service.
  I believe that measured steps now, though painful, are worthwhile to 
preserve and improve the Postal Service for generations to come.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for cloture on the motion 
to proceed to this important legislation. And I look forward to an open 
and honest debate and to working with my colleagues to strengthen the 
bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum 
call has been waived.
  The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the 
motion to proceed to S. 1789, a bill to improve, sustain, and transform 
the United States Postal Service, shall be brought to a close?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. KYL. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Utah (Mr. Hatch), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), and the 
Senator from Alabama (Mr. Sessions).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Utah (Mr. Hatch) 
would have voted ``nay.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Shaheen). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 51, nays 46, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 60 Leg.]

                                YEAS--51

     Akaka
     Begich
     Bennet
     Bingaman
     Blumenthal
     Boxer
     Brown (MA)
     Brown (OH)
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Casey
     Collins
     Conrad
     Coons
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hoeven
     Inouye
     Johnson (SD)
     Kerry
     Klobuchar
     Kohl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Moran
     Murray
     Nelson (NE)
     Nelson (FL)
     Pryor
     Reed
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Snowe
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Webb
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--46

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Baucus
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Cardin
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     DeMint
     Enzi
     Graham
     Grassley
     Heller
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (WI)
     Kyl
     Lee
     Lugar
     Manchin
     McCain
     McConnell
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Portman
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Rubio
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Hatch
     Kirk
     Sessions
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 51, the nays are 
46. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted 
in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
  The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I enter a motion to reconsider the vote on 
which cloture was not invoked on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 
296, S. 1789.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The motion is entered.

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