Once again, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have unveiled a proposal that displays their overt hostility to the U.S. Postal Service, its customers (more commonly known as the American public), and all postal employees. This latest, misguided proposal would make monies available to the highway construction trust fund by cutting postal services.

To be sure, Congress needs to fund the Highway Trust Fund before the end of August, in order to ensure continued funding for thousands of crucial projects aimed at repairing and improving our nation’s infrastructure. But the Postal Service also is a vital component of the American economy, and taking money from one need to fund another is simply an accounting gimmick that has no place when trying to make rational legislative decisions.

Our international parent body, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, and its entire membership, have a deep and longstanding interest in the financial health of the Highway Trust Fund. But LiUNA was not fooled by this Republican shell game, and released the following statement from General President Terry O’Sullivan:

The idea of robbing the U.S. Postal Service to provide another duct-tape fix to our nation’s critical transportation infrastructure would damage both Americans who rely on the mail service and those who want safe roads and bridges.

Gimmicks will not address the dire situation of our roads and bridges.

Congress has several responsible, viable options before it. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has passed a bipartisan Highway Bill that would stabilize the Highway Trust Fund for six years. The U.S. Transportation Department has proposed a four-year plan. And Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer has filed a bill which would stabilize the fund for 10 years through an incremental 15-cent gas tax increase. Each proposal would not only be a step toward making our roads and bridges safer, they would create and protect hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Robbing the Postal Service to provide inadequate transportation investment would not only threaten nearly 100,000 Postal jobs – the uncertainty it would create in the construction industry would forego the creation of hundreds of thousands of good construction jobs.

The American people want responsible action. They understand that we must invest in fixing crumbling roads and aging bridges. Opinion survey after opinion survey show that the American public will support paying for safe roads and bridges, including through a modest gas-tax increase. Kicking the can down our pothole-filled roads is a recipe for further decline.

National President John Hegarty added that it was time for Congress to understand that the Postal Service is funded by rates paid by its customers, not by general taxes, and the Postal Service is not a bank from which Congress can just grab money. “The Republican proposal,” said Hegarty, “is unworthy of support, and should not be allowed to delay responsible action on postal reform.”

Members should watch their bulletin boards and the NPMHU website for the latest information.