Latest proposal would help highway fund
House Republicans last week proposed allowing the Postal Service to stop delivering most mail on Saturday and to use the savings to keep the federal Highway Trust Fund from going broke.
In a statement, USPS said, “Allowing the Postal Service to implement a five-day mail/six-day package delivery schedule is one of several legislative requirements that are included in our request for comprehensive postal reform legislation. With declining First-Class Mail volume, there isn’t sufficient revenue to sustain six-day mail delivery. If the proposed five-day mail/six-day package delivery schedule were to become law, it would provide the Postal Service with some financial relief.”
The statement also noted that the Postal Service’s liabilities exceed its assets by approximately $40 billion. “Comprehensive legislative reform would still be necessary to restore the Postal Service to profitability and put the organization on a stable, long-term financial footing,” the statement concluded.
USPS estimates it would save approximately $1.9 billion annually by switching to a new delivery schedule.
A Gallup poll last yearfound that 63 percent of Americans favor ending Saturday mail delivery. The concept has bipartisan support in Congress, although Senate Democrats oppose the idea of stopping Saturday delivery to help the highway fund. House GOP leaders say they’ll offer more information on their plans this week.