Senate Supermajority Required to Scrap USPS Electrification Plans
The latest car news, reviews, and features.
Congress and the administration have hit yet another speed bump in their attempt to overturn the Postal Service's electrification mandate. Congress cannot toss out the EV mandate with a simple majority vote in the Senate, the body's procedural supervisor said Sunday, which will likely result in the issue being pushed in separate legislation, rather than as part of the tax and spending bill currently being evaluated by Congress. Thanks to a provision in the original legislation, Senate Republicans will have to find support for a 60-vote supermajority in order to overturn the mandate—a tall order in a chamber where they hold only a slim majority.
And the kicker? Nobody's asking for this—at least nobody at the Postal Service itself, which has warned lawmakers that reversing the process now will only waste taxpayer money. Replacing existing EVs would cost the service approximately $1 billion—nearly half of that for vehicles already delivered, plus the cost of contracts for vehicles that have not yet been delivered. Mothballing the charging system that was just installed would mean writing off $500 million in recent investment.
On top of all that, an about-face would set USPS back significantly in its ongoing effort to replace its ancient fleet of delivery vehicles, which the service has been trying to do since the first Trump administration. The original bill included provisions for adding more than 160,000 new delivery vans. Only 10% of the new vehicles added to the USPS fleet would have been electric under the original terms of the legislation.
The Biden administration asked Congress to aim for a higher EV share after being elected in 2020. A new formula increased the minimum order of electric vans to 45,000 (a 300% increase) and baked in an order for nearly 10,000 electric Ford E-Transit vans on top of that allocation. As a result, vehicles being added to the USPS fleet in 2025 are split almost evenly between EV and ICE; from 2026 on, they would be exclusively electric. The revised replacement schedule would see the entire $10 billion plan completed by 2028.
Got a tip? Send it our way at tips@thedrive.com.
.article-sidebar]:pt-0>
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
28 minutes ago
- Politico
Oz nudges Senate Republicans to ease off on Medicaid cuts
House Republicans are aiming to slash funding for the nonpartisan watchdog for waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government by nearly half in the next fiscal year, according to spending bill text released Sunday night. The House Appropriations subcommittee funding Congress and its support agencies, led by chairman David Valadao (R-Calif.), is set to mark up their fiscal 2026 measure Monday evening, with the full committee set to act Thursday. The Legislative Branch bill would provide $6.7 billion — $51 million below the current funding level, which was set in fiscal 2024. Per tradition, the House bill does not touch any Senate funding. 'Chairman Valadao's bill puts the American people first — in strengthening the institutions that represent them, protecting effective governance, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars,' said House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) in a statement. The deepest cuts in the bill are to the Government Accountability Office, an arm of Congress that would see a $396.5 million reduction from current levels to $415.4 million. GAO has served as the nation's chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century, but has been fighting for months as Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration have attempted to undercut its legal conclusions and independence. Now, they are attempting to shrink the agency into submission as it pursues nearly 40 investigations into whether the White House is illegally withholding, or 'impounding,' money Congress had previously approved. Also tucked into the bill is a major policy change that would eliminate the GAO's ability to bring civil action against the executive branch over impoundments of funds. 'GAO's work makes it possible for the legislative branch to hold government accountable,' said Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute. 'Congress needs independent expert advice, which is exactly what GAO provides.' Also on the chopping block is the Library of Congress, which is another legislative branch agency also engaged in a power struggle against intrusion by the Trump administration. The bill allocates $767.6 million for the Library of Congress, which is $84.5 million below the current funding level and $133.7 million below the FY26 request. 'This bill does nothing to safeguard against the growing levels of executive overreach into legislative branch agencies,' said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the legislative branch subcommittee. Some other key provisions in the GOP-written bill include: Capitol Police: The Capitol Police would see a $84.4 million boost to their funding under the bill, bringing the total to $891 million. Some lawmakers had asked for an increase in office funding for use for security, but the bill flat-funds the Members Representational Allowance, which can be used for some member security purposes. Member Pay: The bill would continue the member pay freeze that has been in effect since 2013, halting automatic cost of living increases that members of Congress are supposed to get under law. Gay marriage: The bill includes language that prohibits discrimination against any person who 'speaks, or acts' in accordance with a 'sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction, that marriage is, or should be recognized as, a union of one man and one woman.'
Bloomberg
29 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Ex-Soros Hedge Fund Picker Sun Leads Andon's Push Into US
Investment firm Andon Hong Kong Ltd. is opening an office in New York, led by Soros Fund Management alumnus Chuck Sun. The US operation will initially focus on hedge fund manager selection, an area in which Sun specialized at billionaire George Soros' family office. The firm manages money on behalf of Shenzhen-listed Andon Health Co., a Chinese maker of medical devices like blood pressure monitors and Covid test kits.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
4 Ways Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' Will Change How You Plan for Retirement
President Donald Trump's signature legislation, dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' includes plans for tax cuts, green energy cuts, Medicaid cuts and more. It also contains new retirement account provisions that could affect how Americans plan for their golden years. Be Aware: Read Next: As the landmark bill makes its way from the House to the Senate, here's a look at what you need to understand about how it can affect how you plan for retirement. Many Americans would receive a break on their taxes owed if the bill is passed. This means they would be able to channel more money into retirement savings accounts. 'Retirement planning fundamentally comes down to having sufficient resources to make work optional,' said Brett Horowitz, principal and wealth manager at Evensky & Katz / Foldes Financial Wealth Management. 'The proposed extensions of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act provisions, combined with new deductions for tip income, overtime pay and seniors over 65, could significantly improve retirement outcomes for Americans.' Those who benefited from the cuts in the original Tax Cuts & Jobs Act will continue to enjoy these cuts, allowing them to continue saving for retirement as they had been. 'With many TCJA provisions set to expire at the end of 2025, the House Republican proposal to make these extensions permanent may provide the certainty we need for effective long-term planning,' Horowitz said. 'Retirement modeling depends on clear inputs and stable variables,' he continued. 'The less uncertainty in tax policy, the more accurately we can project success rates. When these changes take effect — pending Senate approval — we'll be able to deliver much better news to clients about their retirement timeline.' Horowitz believes if Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' does not ultimately pass, it could negatively affect Americans' abilities to save for retirement. 'There's a profound psychological difference between telling someone they can retire earlier than expected versus having to extend their working years,' he said. 'The former energizes people about their financial future; the latter can feel overwhelming. These tax provisions create the conditions where more Americans can realistically achieve comfortable retirement.' Learn More: Savvy long-term investment strategies should take taxes into account, so changes to tax laws can shift these strategies. 'Smart investing isn't actually about chasing the highest gross returns — it's about maximizing what clients actually keep after taxes and expenses, and this tax bill addresses some issues there,' Horowitz said. 'While we can control costs through low-fee funds, tax efficiency requires a more nuanced approach that varies by everyone's personal circumstances. 'Higher tax rates push us toward tax-free municipal bonds and tax-efficient ETFs in taxable accounts, while we place tax-inefficient investments in retirement accounts,' he continued. 'This 'tax location' strategy can significantly impact net returns, even if it means accounts perform differently.' 'Two provisions in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act have created the most anxiety for our clients — the SALT deduction cap and estate tax exemptions,' Horowitz said. 'Both are getting significant relief under the current proposal.' The proposed increase in the SALT deduction cap means retirees will face less of a penalty if they choose to spend their golden years in a state with higher income taxes. 'The SALT deduction increase from $10,000 to $40,000 will reshape where people choose to live and retire,' Horowitz said. 'We've already seen migration patterns shift dramatically since 2017, with high-tax states losing residents to states like Florida and Texas. This change reduces the penalty for living in high-income-tax states, though it doesn't eliminate the advantage of no-tax states entirely.' Estate planning strategies would also change for many Americans if the bill were to pass. 'On the estate side, the current $13.99 million exemption was set to drop to $7.14 million in 2026 — a reduction that had wealthy clients scrambling to implement complex gifting strategies and trust structures,' Horowitz said. 'The proposed permanent increase to $15 million per person, or $30 million for couples, provides enormous relief for families in that middle tier.' This is particularly important because of state-level complications, Horowitz continued. 'Take New York, where you could face no federal estate tax, but still owe state estate taxes on estates between $7.16 million and $13.99 million,' he said. 'The interplay between federal and state rules makes domicile planning critical.' The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' should make estate planning less complex for many people. 'For clients who've already implemented sophisticated estate planning strategies, those structures remain valuable,' Horowitz said. 'But for families with estates under the new thresholds, this eliminates the pressure to make rushed gifting decisions or create complex trusts simply to avoid tax cliffs.' Overall, Horowitz believes the bill will make retirement planning easier. 'The permanent nature of these changes — assuming they pass — finally gives families the certainty to make long-term decisions about where to live, how to structure their wealth and when to implement estate planning strategies,' he said. Editor's note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard 10 Genius Things Warren Buffett Says To Do With Your Money 5 Types of Cars Retirees Should Stay Away From Buying This article originally appeared on 4 Ways Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' Will Change How You Plan for Retirement Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
