WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following reaction to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors’ decision to delay the transition to five-day mail delivery:

“Unfortunately, the U.S. Postal Service continues to suffer unsustainable losses that threaten its long-term viability. These fiscal challenges that have been building at the Postal Service for years – attributable in large part to a reduced demand for hard-copy mail – are eminently solvable, yet Congress and the Administration have failed at every turn to come to consensus around a set of effective reforms. Earlier this year, the Postmaster General announced an aggressive plan to transition to 5-day delivery, which was met with mixed reactions in Congress and across the nation. I remain absolutely certain that the only way to save the Postal Service is for Congress and the President to come together around a set of meaningful reforms to shore up the Postal Service’s finances and give it the tools it needs to thrive in the years to come. Even though today’s decision by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors delays its controversial proposal, the urgent need for the Administration and Congress to work together to save the Postal Service by making hard decisions and tackling controversial issues like Saturday delivery remains. While there may be differences of opinion about how best to solve the Postal Service’s financial problems, we should all embrace the goal of enacting legislation that leaves the Postal Service stronger than it is today and better able to navigate through the difficult times it likely has ahead of it.”