WASHINGTON — The 118th Congress has been historically unproductive in terms of legislation over the past year and a half, passing just 65 bills so far, but in recent weeks House Republicans have begun to make significant progress on at least one front.
The House has passed 32 bills to change the names of post offices since May, bringing the total to 35. If all of them pass the Senate, as expected, and are signed by President Joe Biden, they will make up more than a third of all legislation enacted in the 118th Congress. And, of course, they will count as new law.
“Under the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives, we have witnessed the least productive Congress in a generation. In fact, one of them, Mr. [Derrick] Van Alden [R-Wis.] “The best way to put it is, 'Look at what we've accomplished, and the answer is nothing,'” said Viette Shelton, a spokesman for the Democratic House Campaign Committee.
“They have completely failed to govern and are rushing to comply with everything. [Donald] “What Trump is telling them to do will help voters reject them and help Democrats win back their majority.”
Postal recipients range from famous American figures such as country music legend Johnny Cash and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to veterans of wars from the Civil War to the Afghanistan War, local civil rights activists and law enforcement figures, as well as long-time postal workers who have received the honor.
The Congressional Research Service said in May that of the Postal Service's roughly 34,000 post offices, about 980 have been renamed since Congress began the renaming program in 1967.
But a literal act of Congress is not needed to change a name. CRS said the Postmaster General can also change a name, but there are some limitations on who can receive the honor than those that apply to Congress.
Until late January, the House had avoided considering any post office renaming or similar commemorative bills, voting only to rename two Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
But the pace accelerated, and on June 3, in a flurry of activity, the House rushed through 23 post office renaming proposals that Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) brought up one by one over the course of two hours on the House floor. All but one passed without a roll call vote.
While the accelerated pace of Congress may make it seem busier than it actually is, aides to House Republican leadership cautioned against putting too much weight on it.
“This is on par with past Congresses, and I think it's fair to assume this Congress will move in a similar vein to past Congresses,” the aide said. According to their figures, 72 post offices were renamed in the Democratic 117th Congress, and 66 were renamed in the Congress before that.
This year's recipients, their post office locations and the sponsors of the renaming bill are:
Albert Turner Sr., civil rights leader, Marion, Alabama; Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL); Carlton H. Hand, World War II veteran, Rio Grande, NJ; Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-J); George Henry White, former congressman, Middle Township, NJ; Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-J); Luke Letlow, congressman-elect who died of COVID-19, Rayville, Louisiana; Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA); Edwin L. Drake, oil drilling pioneer, Titusville, Pennsylvania; Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA); Col. Hans Christian Hegg, Civil War veteran and abolitionist, Muskego, Wisconsin. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.); Dr. William Cott, World War II veteran, Anaheim, California; Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.); country music star Johnny Cash, Kingsland, Arkansas; Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Arkans.); Nell Patton Roquemore, former postmaster and mayor pro tempore of Lakeland, Lakeland, Georgia; Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.); Maj. Thomas B. Maguire, World War II air combat ace, Sebring, Florida; Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.); Milton F. Fitch Sr., civic leader, Wilson, North Carolina; Rep. Don Davis (Nashville, North Carolina); Kenneth E. Murphy, Vietnam War veteran, Necedah, Wis. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI); Nancy Yount Childs, one of the first female officers in the U.S. Capitol Police, Surfside Beach, SC; Rep. Russell Frye (R-SC); Christopher David Fitzgerald, Temple University police officer killed in the line of duty, Philadelphia; Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA); Charlestta Reece Allen, community leader, Oceanside, CA; Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA); Officer Trevor J. Casper killed in the line of duty, Kiel, WI; Rep. Glenn Grossman (R-WI); Sergeant Wolfgang Kyle Weninger, Marine killed in training accident, Chesterland, OH; Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH); Susan C. Bernhardt, flood victim, Washington Crossing, PA. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA); Army veteran Samuel E. Ebbesen, Christiansted, US Virgin Islands; Rep. Stacey Plaskett (US Virgin Islands); Maj. Megan McClung, first female Marine officer killed in action in the Iraq War, Mission Viejo, CA; Rep. Young Kim (R-CA); Sergeant Justin Dean Coleman, killed in action in Afghanistan, Brooksville, FL; Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-CA); Paul Ignatius, former Secretary of the Navy, Glendale, CA; Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Corporal Michael D. Anderson Jr., Marine killed in action in Iraq, Modesto, CA; Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA); Chief Edward B. Garrone, the longest serving full-time police chief in state history. East Derry, New Hampshire. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH). Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, first woman Secretary of State. Purcellville, Virginia. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA). Pamela Jane Locke, mail carrier, killed in dog attack. Melrose, Florida. Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL). 2nd Lt. Patrick Palmer Calhoun, Vietnam War veteran. Mount Vernon, Georgia. Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA). 1st Lt. William D. Lebo, police officer killed in the line of duty. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA). Corporal David Lee Espinoza, killed in Kabul airport bombing. Corporal Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez, killed in the Iraq War. Sergeant Roberto Arizola Jr., killed in the Iraq War; Laredo, Texas; Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX); Dr. Rudy Lombard, civil rights leader; New Orleans; Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA); William L. Reynolds, Vietnam War veteran; Valencia, California; Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA); Caroline Chang, Asian American/Pacific Islander leader; Boston; Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA); Dr. Margaret B. Hill, community activist; Del Rosa, California; Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA); Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, Korean independence activist (this designation replaces the previous designation of a different post office); Los Angeles; Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA).
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