Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Senators ask postal service to delay post-office closings until House votes on postal reform bill

Thousands of post offices across the country, most in rural areas, still face closure in two weeks if the U.S. House doesn't complete work on its version of the Senate's post office bill, reports Ron Nixon of The New York Times. Nixon reports House lawmakers don't seem in a hurry to proceed on the bill which would overhaul the U.S. Postal Service despite the May 15 deadline.

Senators who co-sponsored the bill called on House leaders to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in a letter, which read: "We fear that the resulting degradation of mail service will further drive away postal customers, only hastening the loss of postal revenue, the accelerating contraction of mail processing and mail-related industry, and further loss of associated jobs."

The senators also sent a letter to the postmaster general asking the USPS to delay closings until legislation is complete. The USPS didn't respond. Nixon notes that the key House version of the bill differs greatly from the Senate version, offering little protection for rural post offices and Saturday delivery. (Read more)

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