“It is clear that Congress believes that slashing customer service should be the last resort, not the first option, chosen by the Postmaster General. I have long maintained that cutting service to five-day delivery would drive away more customers, causing postal revenues to decline further, and push the Postal Service into a financial death spiral. It would also cause hardship for the American families and businesses that rely on six-day delivery for everyday needs.

“The bipartisan bill that I coauthored last Congress, the 21st Century Postal Service Act, which received strong support in the Senate, would have directed the Postal Service to implement all other cost savings over a two-year period. Only after that period, if independent auditors determined that such a move was necessary to restore solvency, could delivery be reduced to five days. Before the Postal Service even considers moving to five-day delivery, reducing customer service, and giving up its competitive edge over other delivery services, it should first reduce its other costs.”