In a reminder of how difficult it has been for the Congress to agree on the best way to reform the workings of the Postal Service, a bipartisan group that now covers half of the U.S. Senate has publicly expressed opposition to plans to shut down up to 82 mail processing plants, arguing it will slow mail delivery and cut too many jobs.
This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid became the fiftieth Senator (44 Democrats, 6 Republicans) to sign on to a letter calling for a delay in one of the plans from the Postmaster General to save money at the Postal Service, arguing it's the wrong choice.
"This one-year moratorium will give Congress the time it needs to enact the comprehensive postal reforms that are necessary for the Postal Service to function effectively into the future," the letter stated.
The plan to trim back on the number of mail processing plants - which the Postal Service says aren't needed because of declining mail volume - could eliminate up to 15,000 jobs, according to critics.
"Instead of slashing decent-paying jobs and slowing down mail, the Postal Service must be allowed to sell more products and offer more services that the American people need," said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
While Sanders argues that the Postal Service's bottom line has been moving in the right direction, the latest financial statements don't show that, as the Postal Service lost just over $2 billion in the second quarter, more than double the $740 million it lost a year earlier.
Congress has tried in recent years to come up with a bipartisan plan to reform the Postal Service - but lawmakers have been divided in both parties on the proper answers.
For example, while the Postal Service wants to get rid of Saturday letter delivery service, that has drawn sharp opposition from rural lawmakers in both parties.
Many Republicans and Democrats have also reacted negatively to plans to shutter post offices and mail facilities as a way to save money - even as red ink grows at the Postal Service.
With so few legislative days left on the calendar in the House and Senate, getting any legislation through the Congress to reform the Postal Service seems to be a longshot; meaning the Postal Service will continue to bleed red ink for the forseeable future.
The Postal Service has lost money in 21 of the last 23 quarters; officials argue they need the Congress to remove various restrictions, and allow the Postal Service to make needed cutbacks to save money.
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