United States Postal Service is Not Just A Convenience

Floor Speech

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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, the United States Postal Service isn't just a convenience. It is a constitutional promise.

For more than two centuries, the USPS has connected every corner of this country, delivering prescriptions to seniors, paychecks to workers, and ballots to voters. They do all of this without taxpayer funding because it was never built for profit but for the public good.

Today, that promise is under threat. This administration's effort to privatize the Postal Service would mean higher costs, slower service, and the elimination of rural delivery because corporations won't serve what isn't profitable. It will also mean the loss of strong, middle- class jobs for over 640,000 postal workers across the country, including nearly 74,000 U.S. veterans. In Delaware alone, nearly 1,000 of my neighbors would be at risk.

This isn't about efficiency. This is about dismantling public services so that Republicans can prove that government doesn't work and then hand those services to the highest bidder.

We should be strengthening the Postal Service, not selling it off, because some things should serve people, not profit. Addressing Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers

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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, this week's travel delays and cancelations are frustrating millions, but behind the headlines is a deeper issue: a national shortage of air traffic controllers, pushing a vital workforce to the brink.

I recently toured the Philadelphia International Airport and met directly with controllers managing the skies above Delaware. They are working 10-hour days, 6 days a week, making split-second decisions to monitor thousands of lives at once. The pressure is relentless, and the margin for mistakes is zero.

On top of all of this stress, this administration and Republicans in Congress are trying to gut their retirement security. Air traffic controllers are mandated to retire at 56. Yet, this administration and House Republicans are advancing a proposal to shrink the retirement benefits for Federal employees who are retiring before 62, all to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. We cannot expect to solve for shortages by breaking our promises to air traffic controllers after a lifetime of work.

The problems we are hearing about at Newark could be a nationwide problem if the majority in Congress continues to disrespect and deplete this vital workforce. Congratulating Students of Charter School of Wilmington

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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate an extraordinary achievement by students from the Charter School of Wilmington, who were just named national winners of Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition.

These brilliant students, who I met with last week, tackled Delaware's physician shortage with an innovative solution: an AI- powered smart bandage that monitors wound healing in real time.

Their project, called AKQUA-Gel, rose to the top from thousands of entries nationwide, earning their school a $100,000 prize package and a national title.

This isn't just a win for Delaware. It is a powerful reminder of what young people can achieve when we invest in education, in STEM, and in their belief that they can solve big problems in their communities.

While I am a proud graduate of Cab Calloway, I couldn't help but come to the well of the House to congratulate the Charter School of Wilmington. They have made Delaware proud and inspired us all.

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