Delaware’s Carper disappointed over Saturday USPS delivery cuts

U.S. Senator Tom Carper expressed his disappointment over the Postal Service’s decision to cut Saturday mail delivery beginning in August.

Carper, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, co-authored bipartisan legislation last year for financial and operational reforms at the Postal Service that would have allowed the elimination of Saturday delivery within two years of enactment if it was “truly necessary to help the USPS survive.”

Carper added that the legislation, which was approved by the Senate, also would have helped USPS cut costs, while generating new revenue, in an effort to preserve Saturday delivery.

“For nearly three decades, it has been the clear intent of Congress that the Postal Service provide most communities with six days of mail delivery,” Carper said in a statement. “That said, I have long argued that Congress should reduce the number of service mandates it places on the Postal Service so that the Postmaster General and his team can more easily adjust operations to reflect the changing demand for the products and services they offer.”

Despite his disappointment, Carper said he knows the Postmaster General had to “do what he believes he can and must do to keep the lights on at the Postal Service, which may be only months away from insolvency.”  

Carper added one of his first orders of business in the 113th Congress is to pick up last year’s postal reform negotiations and reach an agreement on a meaningful bill.

USPS will continue package delivery service six days a week and USPS stores with Saturday hours will continue business as usual.

According to USPS, cutting Saturday mail will save $2 billion annually.