e-Team Report, Sept. 26, 2015

This week, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) announced that he will retire from Congress at the end of October. Boehner’s retirement will mark the end of his 5-year tenure as Speaker and his 25-year career in Congress.

Early predictions are that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Boehner’s second-in-command, is the front runner to replace him. Said Boehner, “I think Kevin McCarthy would make an excellent Speaker.”

Amid news that he will retire, Boehner has also signaled that he will put forth a clean continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11^th. While unpopular with House conservatives who seek to defund Planned Parenthood, Boehner’s move signals that a government shutdown is unlikely, at least for the time being.

To read more about Speaker Boehner’s retirement, please click here.

H.Res.54 Interactive Map

H.Res.54, the resolution aimed at speeding up America's delayed mail, continues to attract support in the House of Representatives.

Now up to 205 co-sponsors, H.Res.54 is closing in on the 218 needed to achieve a bipartisan House majority endorsing prompt, reliable mail. The resolution expresses the sense of the House "that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012." 

Restoring the July 2012 service standards would reverse a January 2015 action by the USPS to slow the mail nationwide and virtually eliminate overnight service. While the resolution is non-binding, co-sponsoring H.Res.54 is a great way for representatives to publicly declare their opposition to the recent scourge of delayed mail.

The resolution has surpassed 200 co-sponsors thanks to APWU members, retirees, and Auxiliary working together to educate Congress about the dangers of the mail slowdown. In many cases, delayed mail has meant that families and businesses must wait 3-5 days or more for essential correspondence, including: military veterans receiving vital medications, seniors getting benefit payments, and small businesses awaiting remittances.

To help visualize our great progress so far, and also the work still to come, please check out the linked interactive map that displays H.Res.54 co-sponsorship state-by-state. The greener your state looks, the greater the share of the House delegation already co-sponsoring.

H.Res.54 Co-Sponsors by State

Check the Map - Click Here!

By clicking on your state on the interactive map, you can see which of your state's representatives we still need to reach out to about co-sponsoring H.Res.54. If your lawmaker isn't yet on board, please contact their office and encourage them to add their name today!