As November Nears, U.S. House Shifts Into High Lawmaking Gear — To Rename Post Offices

WASHINGTON ― The 118th Congress, with just 65 successful bills to its name so far, has been historically unproductive in terms of making laws over the past year and a half. But in recent weeks, House Republicans have begun to make serious progress, at least in one respect.

Since May, the House has passed bills to rename 32 post offices, bringing the total to 35. If all those are also passed by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden, as expected, they would make up more than a third of all the laws — and, yes, they count as new laws — produced by the 118th.

“Under House Republicans, we’ve been witness to the least productive Congress in a generation. In fact, one of their own ― Mr. [Derrick] Van Orden [R-Wis.] ― said it best: ‘Look at what we’ve accomplished. The answer is nothing,’” said Viet Shelton, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“Their complete failure at governing and their rush to fall in line behind whatever [Donald] Trump tells them to do is going to be why voters reject them and help Democrats retake the majority.”

The postal honorees represent a wide spectrum, from famous American figures including country music legend Johnny Cash and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to veterans of wars ranging from the Civil War to Afghanistan to local civil rights and law enforcement figures. Even some longtime postal workers have gotten the honor.

About 980 of the U.S. Postal Services’ almost 34,000 post offices have been renamed since Congress began the practice in 1967, the Congressional Research Service said in May.

But a literal act of Congress isn’t necessary to change the names. The CRS said the postmaster general can also do so, though with a few more