According to the Mailers Council’s executive director Bob McLean, the status of postal reform has not changed much in recent weeks. The only significant development to report is that the Senate has named members of a future conference committee; the House of Representatives has yet to do so.
“There is a possibility that the current rate case could be altered and its timing could be changed if reform were enacted,” McLean says. “But until we see a final bill for reform, we can’t predict the timing and size of future rate cases.” McLean reiterates that both the Senate and the House drafts of the bill still call for the removal of the escrow and military pensions from the Postal Service’s financials — clearly the two most significant aspects of the reform proposals and the two most likely to be opposed by the White House. McLean says it’s conceivable that a compromise could be reached, relieving the USPS of only one of its main financial obligations.