Multiple Georgia Democrats in Congress have signed on to co-sponsor a bill that aims to keep the United States Postal Service as an independent establishment. 

HR 70 seeks to prevent the USPS from being absorbed into the Department of Commerce, a move President Donald Trump has suggested in recent days following the announcement that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is stepping down.

What is HR 70?

What we know:

The Democratic-introduced resolutions have 113 members of the House signed on as co-sponsors, including five Republicans. 

Rep. Nikema Williams, Rep. Hank Johnson, Rep. Lucy McBath, and Rep. Sandford Bishop are the four Georgia Democrats who have signed on to co-sponsor the resolution, which was introduced late last month. 

The resolution was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Massachusetts 8th congressional district.

Democrats push to keep USPS a separate entity

Dig deeper:

The resolution urges "all appropriate measures" to keep the United States Postal Service as an independent establishment of the Federal Government and prevent its privatization. The lawmakers stressed that "the United States Postal Service is a constitutionally mandated service per article I, section 8, clause 7 of the Constitution" and noted that it is "a self-sustaining, independent establishment that does not receive taxpayer funding and relies solely on revenue derived from the sale of postal services and products."

According to the resolution, the USPS is "at the center of the $1,900,000,000,000 mailing industry" and directly supports over 630,000 employees, while employing more than 7,900,000 Americans indirectly. It delivers mail to more than 168,000,000 business and residential addresses each day, maintaining an "affordable and universal network" that connects rural, suburban, and urban communities.

The resolution also highlights that the postal service is "consistently the highest-rated agency of the Federal Government in nonpartisan opinion polls" and employs nearly 73,000 military veterans, making it one of the largest veteran employers in the nation. Lawmakers added that "postal employees are dedicated public servants who do more than process and deliver the nation’s mail; they serve as the eyes and ears of the nation’s communities and often respond first in situations involving health, safety, and crime in their communities."

Warning of the potential fallout from privatization, the resolution stated that such a move "would result in higher prices and reduced services for its customers, especially in rural communities," and "would jeopardize the booming e-commerce sector and cripple a major part of the nation’s critical infrastructure."

The resolution concludes: "Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and not subject to privatization."

What's next:

The resolution has been referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

What we don't know:

No word on when or if the bill will come out of committee.