We enter the 2157 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Here, we find ourselves in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Room.

We must remain very, very quiet as we notice the Democrats and the Republicans going out of their way to congratulate members of their opposite political parties.

The reason for this festivity is all the hard work they have put forward to salvage the United States Postal Service from certain financial ruin.

Stop the presses! The GOP and the Democrats can actually work together to solve a crisis situation? That, in itself, is cause for celebrating.

For many years the USPS has petitioned Congress for financial assistance with a bleak condition that postal unions, Congressional representatives, and others agreed was extremely grim. That aid appears to have been provided by the Postal Service Reform Act of 2017. What is that, you may be wondering?

Utah Republican Representative Jason E. Chaffetz, the Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, eagerly explains to us, "We're faced with ten consecutive years of financial losses at the Postal Service, totaling some 62 billion {dollars}. The United States Postal Service isn't at "a" crossroads, it's at "the" crossroads!"

He further elaborates, "We're actually going to get to the finish line and get a bill on the President's desk. I'd like to see that as a bipartisan reform proposal that we can all get behind and champion."

What the Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 will accomplish, as it is currently written, is to deal with health benefits for postal employees, retirees, pensions, governance, and contracting. It will also require postal retirees to participate in Medicare.

Megan Brennan, the first female Postmaster General of the United States, then informs us, "That would essentially eliminate our unfunded liability for retiree health benefits."

However, this proposal, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2017, was strongly objected to by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, who claimed there would be a 134-dollar a month premium increase in Medicare for postal retirees.

"All for health insurance coverage many postal retirees do not want, may not be able to afford, and have previously chosen not to take," The Association's President, Richard G. Thissen, wrote in a letter to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 will also increase the price of a First Class stamp by one penny. Additionally, delivery areas for housing developments, where forty percent or more of the residents agree to it, will have their mail delivered to a cluster box. The disabled can obtain a waiver for this requirement.

Local Post Offices will also be closed based on such factors as the availability of broadband Internet services, weather, terrain, and the distance to the next nearest Post Office location. However, Saturday mail delivery will not be ended by this piece of legislation.

As we depart the Hearing Room, somebody yells, "Don't forget to turn off the lights!"

And, all I can say is, "Here we go again!"

***Next Time: Democrats - The New Radicals