A key lawmaker is continuing to press for ending Saturday mail delivery after Congress again failed to approve a broader overhaul of U.S. Postal Service operations.
“We must act now if the Postal Service is to endure as an independent, self-funding agency,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said in a letter urging an end to a long-standing congressional requirement for six-day mail delivery. The requirement is renewed each year as part of a spending bill; the letter asks House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., to drop the provision from a fiscal 2014 spending package likely to be introduced in the next two weeks.
Issa’s office released a copy of the letter, dated Dec. 19, this week; a Rogers spokeswoman declined comment Thursday. Also on Dec. 19, Issa introduced a bill to give the Postal Service the go-ahead for five-day mail delivery while repealing cuts in future cost-of-living adjustments for working-age military retirees that are part of a budget agreement signed last month.
Ending Saturday mail delivery, while continuing to deliver packages, is a priority for Postal Service leaders, who estimate that the move would save $1.9 billion per year. The Obama administration is on board with the idea. In Congress, Issa, who heads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., chairman of the comparable Senate panel, have introduced legislation that would allow five-day mail delivery as part of a broader revamp of postal operations.
via Lawmaker pushing for five-day mail service | Federal Times | federaltimes.com.
Here is more info:
WASHINGTON – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced the introduction of legislation to allow the U.S. Postal Service to implement a modified six-day delivery schedule and repeal reductions in military pensions made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The military pension cuts were made to achieve $6.2 billion in savings over 10 years.
“This legislation will restore Cost-of-Living Adjustments for our military retirees and not only replace the savings but nearly triple them– saving $17 billion over 10 years according to conservative USPS estimates,” said Chairman Issa. “This common sense reform will help restore the cash-strapped Postal Service to long-term solvency and is supported by the President and key Congressional leaders in both chambers.”
USPS is forced to deliver paper mail, like bills and advertisements, six days a week by an unfunded mandate included in annual appropriations legislation. If the mandate is lifted, the Postmaster General has announced that USPS would modify its current delivery schedule to deliver packages 6 days a week and paper mail 5 days a week. Express and priority mail delivery would not change, and post offices would remain open on Saturdays.
Chairman Issa recently outlined the benefits of ending the unfunded mandate in a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.)
Full text of H.R. 3801, can be viewed here.
SEC. 2. NATIONWIDE MAIL DELIVERY SCHEDULE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 404 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by inserting after subsection (e)
the following:
‘‘(f)(1) The Postal Service may establish a general, nationwide mail delivery schedule of 5 days per week.
‘‘(2) The Postal Service shall ensure that, under any schedule established under paragraph (1), there shall not occur more than 2 consecutive days on which mail is not delivered, including as a result of Federal holidays
‘‘(3) For a period not to end before January 1, 2019, the Postal Service shall provide domestic competitive product service 6 days per week to each street address that was scheduled to receive package service 6 days per week as of September 30, 2012.
‘‘(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a reduction, or to require an increase, in frequency of mail delivery for any address for which the Postal Service provided delivery on fewer than 6 days per week as 23 of January 1, 2013.’’.
(b) MAILBOX ACCESS.—If the United States Postal Service establishes a general, nationwide mail delivery
schedule of 5 days per week, the Postal Service shall amend the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal
Service (as set forth in the Domestic Mail Manual) to ensure that the provisions of section 508.3.2.10 of such
5 Manual, as in effect on September 30, 2012, shall apply on any day on which the Postal Service does not deliver mail under the established delivery schedule.
John from Long Island has hit the nail on the head…All the Union cares about is the head count so they can get dues…The Union could give a rat’s ^$$ about the employees, they will give away any and all to keep the numbers…..Sold the CCAS down the river, just ask them,$22.00 down to $16 in the last contract.
The thing is USPS has said no lay offs to achieve #s for elimination of Saturday delivery..Incentives and time for those close… If the politicians get involved they may force the no lay off clause to be removed as well as Health Benefit changes which will negatively affect workers.
The Union needs to support the 5 day with parcels on Saturday before they totally alienate the workers and Congress rips the guts out of the Postal Service
Thank God for Darrell Issa…The only way the USPS will survive is to go to 5 day delivery and concentrate on packages…The union lovers will say stop the pre funding and everything will be O.K…..The union needs to wake up and open their eyes…Things are changing and we don’t need mail 6 days a week, but the union will say they are fighting for you but all they really want is the 23.44 a pay check so they can sit on there lazy asses and do nothing…If all you people would open your eyes and see both sides Dems. and Rep. want 5 day delivery….5 Day is the way..
Patton you solved the million dollar question. USPS NEED A NUTRI SYSTEM TO SHED BLOATED WEIGHT FROM HEAD TO FOOT.
We’re still carrying mail in the dark, and they want to cut it to 5 days???
Donadope has already cut the workforce to the bone and there is a shortage of letter carriers nationwide,how about cutting the bloated,overpaid management,whose numbers are the same as they were five years ago,and stop creating more Vice-President positions.
Who cares, the post office is bloated and who really uses first class mail? The next generation is only gonna have it for packages. Go to five days dump another 100K employees the rest of the world won’t care most of the people in the USPS are able to retire so who gives thank you representative Issa for realizing that this bloated part of the government needs to shed some much needed pounds.
200 plus years ISSA a long trail to private enterprise with lots of surprise !
You honestly believe the administration knows what is going on in the post office. sure someone does but not the president. He continues to rely on his aides. Shall I say more.
Congress must be open to new ways of looking at things.
Plain to see that delivering mail 6 days a week is non cents. This was necessary in times past when communication both individual and business was via purchasing a postage stamp and waiting a 2-3 day time frame for delivery to a physical address. This was in the 20th century and back in the 1960s when taxpayer paid for a means to communicate. The 21st century has seen tremendous advances in communication technology as is seen in a tremendous decrease in postal prime product FIRST CLASS MAIL which decreased revenue. The process was magnified by government agencies forcing the use of direct deposit per social security checks and others. Revenue cannot be generated to a breakeven point with the massive cost being reduced. Cost effective operations must be employed as well as decreases in salaries in high level positions down to local offices. Offices that were necessary in time past but due to changing demographics are cluttered suburban offices with 4-5 in 7-8 mile radius of a large office. Labor cost is being reduced by hiring $14.00-$16.50 hour replacement when a vacancy is filled.
OVERTIME AND V TIME IS RAMPANT and carriers are having to work unsafe delivering in darkness.
Providing an early out with attractive amount to reduce high level district employees as well as PM AND CRAFT EMPLOYEES WOULD PAY DIVIDENDS IN THE LONG RUN. 5 day delivery is an excellent point to start. Intelligent business minded politicians per Rep. Issa need to devise means to refurbish the outdated debt ridden postal system.
PO delivery has nothing to do with military colas. Pay the military! Concentrate on 3 day residential delivery and 1 carrier can have 2 routes. Deliver 1 on m/w/f and the other t/t/s with a relief. Do it right Issa.
Oh and how many usps employees will lose their jobs because of a 5 day delivery? 50,000 is a number most often used. Issa refuses to acknowledge that if he would work to repeal the congressionally mandated prefunding shell game, there would be no “fiscal crisis” at the post office.
He just wants to dismantle the postal service and give the cream to his buddies and let the rest of the country be damned.
I hope all of those people who worship at the feet of the Democrats and Mr. Obama will take note of the above statement concerning ending Saturday mail delivery which said, “The Obama administration is on board with the idea.” Seems like the republican Issa and the democrat Obama are in agreement on this issue. No doubt those who worship will find an excuse for one while they continue to demonize the other!
The USPS can’t even get the mail out in six days and this moron wants to cut service to five. Keep hitting that crack pipe Issa!