House to consider postal bill next week

The House plans to consider a sweeping postal overhaul bill next week, despite lingering differences with the White House.

The bill sponsored by Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., was passed unanimously by the House Government Reform Committee in April.

The House Rules Committee will meet Monday to formulate a rule for the legislation, with floor action likely slated for Tuesday.

The panel cleared a similar bill last year, but that measure never reached the floor because of White House objections to provisions giving the Postal Service access to money slated for an escrow account and shifting responsibility for the agency's military pensions to the Treasury Department.

No deal on those two sticking points has been reached, according to proponents of the bill, although the administration has been negotiating with House Government Reform Chairman Davis and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Collins.