Sen. Carper Reacts to Latest Postal Service Proposals to Address Dire Fiscal Situation

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service, released the following reaction to the U.S. Postal Service’s most recent proposals to address its fiscal challenges:

“I have been saying for some time now that the Postal Service is in a dire fiscal crisis due to the challenging economic environment and the rapid transition to electronic communication. For this reason, I introduced my comprehensive reform legislation, the Postal Operations Sustainment and Transformation (POST) Act of 2011, which would address the financial challenges facing the Postal Service and enable it to make the reforms necessary to survive – and even thrive – in the long run.

“These latest proposals from the Postal Service again underscore the seriousness of its financial predicament. I am open to considering any idea that can prevent the Postal Service from going bankrupt, and I am waiting to get the details on these two most recent proposals before determining whether or not I will support them. I am particularly interested in learning whether these proposals would be fair to employees and effective in reducing the Postal Service’s costs. Simply put, the Postal Service is on the brink of total financial collapse, and we need to do all that we can to keep that from happening. I will continue to work with my colleagues, stakeholders, and the Administration to save the Postal Service before it’s too late.”

###