Hecklers Disrupt Joint Deficit Reduction Committee Meeting
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 1:10PMAs members of the Joint Deficit Reduction Committee met Thursday to make opening remarks and consider proposed committee rules, hecklers outside the hearing room raised their voices high.
The 12-member committee was dedicated to their looming task at hand - to reduce the federal deficits by $1.5 trillion by Thanksgiving - but a group of protestors outside the hearing room caused the meeting to come to a temporary halt as they shouted their imminent need for jobs.
In addition to the protestors outside the hearing room, three protestors garbed in bold, pink outfits touted “Tax the Rich!” signs and sat front and the center in the audience of the committee hearing room.
As protestors raised their voices louder, committee co-chair Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) instructed staffers to close the door and for committee members to speak louder.
And that is exactly what they did.
As each committee member addressed the need to reduce the deficit and create jobs for Americans, they all agreed that compromise would be a critical component of the committee’s task.
“A successful final product that comes from this committee must include compromises on both sides,” committee co-chair Senator Patty Murray declared.
“If this committee fails, it won’t be for lack of ideas. It will be for lack of political will,” Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Md.) stated. “We need to bite the bullet and put our country first. Compromise is not a dirty word.”
The next committee meeting is set for Tuesday, September 13.
Postal Service In Desperate Need Of Flexibility, Says Chief
While addressing an audience at the National Press Club on Monday, Postmaster General and CEO Patrick Donahoe was interrupted by social activists demanding that the Postal Service not be privatized.
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donahoe has got to go,” demonstrators chanted in the middle of Donhoe’s speech. As they demanded that postal workers maintain their jobs and benefits, they continued to chant, “We are the 99 percent.”
“Well the good thing is they’ve definitely been paying attention to this situation,” Donahoe commented as the demonstrators were escorted out of the room by security guards. He then continued with his speech and advocated for the passage of new legislation to enable more postal service flexibility.
“While we have the mandate to operate like a business, the reality is that we don’t have the flexibility under current law to function like a business,” Donahoe remarked.
While the U.S Postal Service is a government institution, it receives no funding from the government and generates its revenue solely from the sale of postal products and services. The postal service must compete for its customers in the marketplace but cannot make decisions without government regulations.
“We’re in a deep financial crisis today because we have a business model that is tied to the past,” Donahoe related. “Most businesses make product and pricing decisions quickly based on market demand. We still have to go through a cumbersome process to price our products. Our competition can make these changes on a moment’s notice.”
“Most companies don’t pre-fund retiree health benefits,” Donahoe continued. “Not only does the postal service require to pre-fund, [but] we’re required by law to fully fund an entire 40 year obligation in 10 years.”
The Postal Service ended its 2011 fiscal year with a $5.1 billion net loss. According to Donahoe, the loss would have been around $10.6 billion if not for the passage of legislation that postponed a congressionally mandated payment of $5.5 billion to pre-fund retiree health benefits.
Currently, a pair of bipartsan Postal Service reform bills are curently awaiting votes in both the House and Senate. If the bills are passed, the Postal Service’s operations and network would be structurally remodeled, resulting in workforce, benefit and service cuts. Donahoe, however, said that neither bill contains the type of reforms he would support.
“Both bills have elements that delay tough decisions and impose greater constraints on our business model,” he said. “Taken as they are, they do not come close to enabling the cost reductions.”
Donahoe later called on Congress to pass “comprehensive legislation to provide us with a more flexible business model so we can respond better to a changing marketplace.”