July 9, 2014 - Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, can’t seem to give up his quest to eliminate Saturday mail delivery.
On July 8, upset that the House Appropriations Committee restored protection for six-day delivery to a funding bill, the California Republican tried to employ a parliamentary maneuver to derail the measure.
In a message to House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Issa claimed jurisdiction over all issues related to the Postal Service, and asserted that the six-day delivery provision should be subject to a House Rule that prohibits “legislation” in general appropriations bills.
“Rep. Issa’s complaint would be comical if it wasn’t such a serious attack on the people’s Postal Service,” said Legislative and Political Director John Marcotte. “In addition to protecting six-day delivery, the appropriations bill reverses the District of Columbia’s laws on marijuana possession, dictates how its locally-generated tax monies can be used, and takes away health care choices for women in the district.
“No matter how you feel about these issues, the irony is that they all fall under the purview of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. But Rep. Issa didn’t let out a whimper of protest against these examples of ‘legislating’ via the Appropriations Bill. The hypocrisy is stunning but not unusual for Mr. Issa,” Marcotte said.
“Mr. Issa is not satisfied with using his authority as chairman to damage the USPS by blocking quality postal reform,” he added. “He is now trying to use parliamentary tricks to overturn a bipartisan vote saving six-day delivery. The public pays little attention to the House Rules Committee, but Issa’s moves are critically important because he is leading the charge in the House to dismantle the Postal Service.”
