21st Century Postal Service Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I think there is merit in the discussion about whether we vote now or vote later. The important thing is that we vote on this budget point of order. It is not as if the entire process of trying to fix the post office is going to collapse if we take this vote and it succeeds. All we are asking is that we find a way to pay for it. This Senate agreed last August to the Budget Control Act; that we were not going to exceed these limits, and that we would find, if there was something essential that needed to be done--if that is the case to be made here--we would at least find a way to stay within what we agreed to do. This is the second time now, I believe--maybe more--that we have violated that agreement. So what do we go home and tell our people? Well, this was so important--to save some post offices--that we had to violate an agreement which was agreed to by a strong majority here to save the country from default.

There are priorities. It is impossible for me to understand why we can't, in this government that spends over $3.7 trillion, find a way to scare up $34 billion over a 10-year period of time to cover the cost this bill is going to lay on us. So I would urge, whether we vote now or vote later on the point of order made by the Senator from Alabama, that we consider this. We have a recess week coming up. Staff can get together and dig out $34 billion in cost savings we can apply to this so we don't have to worry about going home and telling people we didn't keep our word, that we lied to them last August.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source