Post Office Plans to End Saturday Delivery

The US Postal Service proposed to stop Saturday mail delivery as part of its battle for fiscal viability. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said package delivery will continue on Saturdays when the plan is implemented in August. Package deliveries increased due to the online purchasing booms.

Donahoe said that the one less day delivering magazines, letters, catalogs, ads, and other mail would save the US Postal Service $2 billion per year. He said that the plan is part of their strategy to return to financial stability.

The announcement got mixed reviews on Capitol Hill where the idea has faced opposition in the past. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ranking member Tom Coburn sent a letter to leaders of both chambers of Congress in support of the plan. They described the plan as common-sense reform.

But some lawmakers from rural states gave their opposition to the proposal by the USPS. Democratic Senator Mark Begich said that this is bad news for Alaskans and small-business owners who rely on timely delivery to rural areas. He added that the plan would slow overall mail delivery time for items, such as Social Security checks.

Begich said that the US Postal Service should have allowed Congress more time to come up with a legislative solution to the fiscal problem. The Senate passed a postal bill last year that would have prevented the removal of Saturday delivery for at least two years. The bill was stalled in the House.

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio said that the postal overhaul was a difficult issue and pledged that the chamber will act on it. He added that Congress needs to act and he hopes that they will act soon.

American Postal Workers Union president Cliff Guffey said he opposes the proposal made by Donahoe. He added that a solution must come from Congress. He said that USPS executives can’t save the Postal Service by tearing it apart.