Government affairs

In a party-line vote of 220-212, the House passed the budget resolution yesterday. The ten-year $3.5 trillion plan includes non-traditional infrastructure, such as funding for improved family services, eldercare, healthcare, education, combatting climate change, and more. The plan will mostly be funded by raising taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans – raising taxes on people who make more than $400,000 a year.

The framework, which passed in the Senate on August 11, reinforces crucial portions of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, a three-part plan to rebuild America’s economy through legislation that is currently being considered in Congress to invest in roads, bridges, rail and other traditional transportation modes.

“The House of Representatives is taking a significant step toward making a historic investment that is going to transform America – cut taxes for working families, and position the American economy for long term growth,” said President Biden.

After successful passage of the budget resolution in the Senate, today’s House vote cleared the path for Democratic lawmakers to use a process known as “budget reconciliation,” which only requires 51 votes in the Senate as opposed to the 60 vote threshold required in regular order, which has prevented hundreds of bills from being considered by the upper chamber. Using the budget reconciliation process, designated House and Senate committees now have until the September 15 deadline to craft their respective tax and spending legislation. This process begins with each Committee outlining its spending and reduction priorities within the agreed upon framework. Once the Committees complete their work, a single bill will be considered by both chambers and sent to the President’s desk.  

With regards to the Postal Service, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) and House Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR) will work together to identify roughly $37 billion in new spending. Some portion of this spending is expected to include funding to fully electrify the federal vehicle fleet, including the Postal Service’s fleet. It is also expected to be used for federal building rehabilitation projects, cybersecurity infrastructure, border management investments, and other federal investments related to clean energy procurement.

Prior to House passage, and in an effort to appease moderate Democratic lawmakers who are concerned about the fate of the infrastructure bill currently being considered in both chambers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a statement committing to a vote on the infrastructure bill by September 27. Leadership is aiming to also vote on the budget reconciliation package around the same time. NALC will continue to monitor these bills as they move through Congress.