April 17, 2015
WASHINGTON – Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, convened a bipartisan briefing on the state of Postal Service finances Thursday afternoon. The briefing provided an important opportunity for all senators to hear from the U.S. Postal Service along with key oversight bodies, including the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office, on how revenue generation and cost cutting initiatives have impacted the Postal Service’s bottom line and the forecast for the rest of the year. This is the first of several forums organized to analyze and discuss the Postal Service and congressional reform efforts.
“To this day – more than 200 years after its founding – the Postal Service remains an important part of our lives and economy,” Sen. Carper said. “But it continues to face financial challenges that threaten its future. In fiscal year 2014 alone, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $5.5 billion largely due to the steady decline of first class mail. We can’t stand idly by and let an institution that operates at the center of a $1 trillion industry and employs over 7 million people falter. While Postal Service management has done what it can to cut costs and compete in the digital age, its needs Congress to help pave a fiscally sustainable path that will enable this American institution to grow and thrive.
“I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress, the Administration, and stakeholders to build on our efforts and find a solution that works for the Postal Service, its customers and its employees, and give it the tools it needs to survive and prosper in the years to come,” he continued. “I hope this briefing provided members an opportunity to better understand the Postal Service’s financial status and help begin the process of addressing reform this Congress. I thank Chairman Johnson, Senator Sanders, and our other colleagues who joined us for a constructive and thoughtful conversation, and I look forward to continuing this important dialogue with them and others in the coming weeks.”
is it not amazing that Pan American Airways went out of business because it was losing 1 million a month………..and this place is still in business after losing 85 BILLION over the last 5 years. something to think about. the red ink has not stopped yet!
Since the Post office doesn’t take any taxpayer money, how about getting congress out of the picture and allow us to make our own decisions instead of making us beg pretty please!
Wake up people…Democrats have not and will not help you….They say the right things to get your vote but they turn around and do nothing..Then you blame the Republicans like it is there fault…Wake up…Mail volume is declining that’s a fact..Packages are growing…We need to move away from letter delivery and go to packages. 5 day delivery will come soon and there is nothing the union can do about it…We will not lose our jobs if it goes to 5 day, there are in desperate need of carriers..Stop using the Democrats and union talking points and Wake up….5 Day all the Way
Carper is an idiot. He believes what he chooses to believe and no amount of common sense is going to convince him of anything else. The plain and simple fact of the matter is that Congress is what put the USPS in the red in the first place, so we’d be fine if clowns like Carper would stop trying to help us. The USPS wasn’t even broken until Congress started fooling with it. Congress does 10 times more to create problems than to solve them for whatever they decide to do. Of course, if we all knew that everyone would be better off if they’d stop doing things, Carper and the rest of them wouldn’t have a job, or at least they’d have to be subject to their own laws like everyone else. I have no respect for Carper; he is an idiot.
Megan Brennan is Donahue in drag!!! She looks and talks like him. Anyways… Sen. Carper is a career politician…. Can you actually believe he was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and served over 20 years in active and the reserves ( that’s scary ).. Was Governor of Delaware for 8 years, and over 20 years as a U.S House Rep and U.S. Senator… It’s time to retire and relax in your beach house in Rehoboth Beach… And take Vice President Biden with you, Please!!!!!!!!! You both do nothing for the poor and middle class of the United States…
Senator Carper is a fool and NOBODY believes this guy…we need term limits on idiots like him and he needs to go. He does not even know what he is saying and his words on first class while we are making money is delusional. Never forget he is the one who tried to change the verbiage on his last assault on the Postal Service while trying to act like a sheep in wolf’s clothing. He is a Democrat?! Really? He is a liar and no truth is in him. he will change his form and show his true colors in the middle of the night when the moon is full or on a friday night when the press is at the tavern.
Senator Carper, can’t you remember you co sponsored the prefunding of the Postal Services health care costs? That law was just brilliant! Must have taken weeks to come up with a great way to destroy the Postal Service. Now every one can’t decide what to do! Even a cave man would know to do !Get rid of the prefunding. But remember, congress was the same body of officials that caused the war in Iraq because of the “weapons of mass deception” All congress is concerned about is doing every thing they can for their business bastards, while screwing the working class! Now is the time for congress to prefund their health care costs! Senator, never ask a man to do that you aren’t willing to do! If it’s good for Postal workers, it’s good for congress! Enjoy some of your own medicine!
This entire thing is a comedy….. from every angle and every side… just keeps getting better and better
Management did all it could to try to cut costs and compete? Where’s that four foot bong, Senator? Under the table? These other posts are absolutely correct putting the cause for the loss on the prefunding act of 2006, not a first class volume drop.
Senator, you won’t even acknowledge it was the work of skunks and traitors to the working class and organized labor such as yourself that caused the problem, and yet you say you’re committed to fixing the USPS. Isn’t that the usual Congressional way, fuck something up beyond repair and then offer to “repair” it?
I was at an NALC convention, maybe Philadelphia in 2002, I can’t remember the exact location, but I remember you were a speaker and you were all about being our buddy and the Executive Branch on the dais cheered you on. Then, you turned on us, just like Obama did against organized labor. I’m nominally a Democrat, and I say nominally because I don’t see any real support for the middle class and unions anywhere in Washington any more from the two headed monster we call Republicans and Democrats.
I hope the Tea Party is just successful enough to split the GOP in two and destroy it. The Republicans are scared shitless because the Hispanic population is exploding and they will not vote GOP. Even rampant gerrymandering may not work in a few election cycles.
But, we need a force on the other side, a labor party, which is good enough of a name for me, that does what the old Democrats used to do – fight for the little guy and our Constitutional freedoms, not the “freedom” idiot Republicans and the religious right cult think it is, mainly freedom to think and behave exactly as you’re told by FOX News and the clergy. The Democrats of today are just as worthless when it comes to working families and organized labor, because while they don’t do much to discourage labor, they don’t do anything to help it, either.
This country will continue to fall as long as the Republicans and Democrats remain in power. One is as bad in its own way as the other, and we must break out of our divisive mental frames of mind and send these bastards packing.
Carper needs to retire! I love how he says that the $5.5 billion dollar lost was due to decline first-class mail volume, when in fact he was one of the co-sponsors of the PAEA act that is financially killing the post office!!! He can’t even lie straight!
The letter mail volume is no longer declining and package volume is through the roof, and FedEx,UPS and Amazon giving us more and more business they can’t handle, stop pushing the Republican lies on the public,Tom Crapper!
“In fiscal year 2014 alone, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $5.5 billion largely due to the steady decline of first class mail.”
So says Tom Carper, which is an outright lie. With him paving the way, stand by for more anti-worker legislation/solutions. How can these lying sacks of crap spew this garbage. Hey Senator; put down your Republican talking points and start acting like the Democrat you were elected as.
Almost the ENTIRE debt load of the USPS for the last 8 years is directly due to the PAEA of 2006. You are well aware of this, yet you continue to lie. C’mon, Deleware ! Vote this loser out.
are we loosing money are we making money we cant be doing both. prefunding ends 2016. yada yada yada
Tom Carper,a sellout who’s not a real Democrat who will side with the Rethuglicans on a bill that will worsen the situation for Postal Service and screw it’s employees except of course,management.
I think he meant to say ” in the coming years” instead of “in the coming weeks”
Blah blah blah-the USPS started losing money in 2007 and congress is still “talking” about its financial state 8 years later! Do something or shut up about it.
For those of you who want five-day (Carriers), you watch and see how many of you get laid off if they go to five-days!!!
Immediately offer 25k early out incentive to all eligible carriers. Go five day delivery, rehire CCA’s at 2/3 less pay and fire 90% of incompetent managers.
The USPS is not losing money,just get rid of the $5.5 billion annual tax / pre-payment that is only a paper loss, confirm the five BOG appointees, a moratorium on the further unnecessary dismanteling of the network by Megan Brennan and get out of the way! it is just that simple!
5 day all the way!
The need for USPS services have declined. Advances in communication technology has eliminated the need for paper communication, requiring a postage stamp, to take 2-3 day to be delivered to a physical street address. Dinosaur age. Expenses must be curtailed as volume continues to decrease. Parcel delivery revenue is the only green to SPLY; efforts should to directed to increase market share as online shopping is in a strong growth trend. Priority and express mail must be tailored to meet consumer needs as these services offer opportunity to increase revenue. 6 day street delivery is a wasted cost. Bulk business mail increase cost while generating low revenue. Still too many needless, useless community post offices increasing expenses. Some even been upgraded, no delivery, and a large office 3 miles away. Ben Franklin era has long been history. Reality must be dwelt with as it presently exist. Politicians need to do their job and eliminate waste in USPS.
Spoken like a true management wonk. Spouting the SPLY propaganda. Your useless job should be first on the chopping block.