Sen. Carper Launches Countdown to Critical Postal Service Deadline

Calls on House to pass a postal reform bill by May 15th to avoid potential closure of over 1,000 facilities

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), co-author of the 21st Century Postal Service Act and chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service, launched a page on his website – http://www.carper.senate.gov/May15 – that calls on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation aimed at reforming the U.S. Postal Service before a critical deadline of May 15, 2012 – the date that the Postal Service can begin moving forward with closing over 1,000 postal facilities across the country.

“My friends in the House must move forward with consideration of postal reform legislation right away, or else we’ll begin to see the dire consequences of postal facilities shutting down across the country,” said Sen. Carper. “Failing to act would hasten the Postal Service’s financial decline, which would threaten a mailing industry that employs over 8 million people and generates almost $1 trillion in economic activity each year. We can’t let that happen. If Congress works together to finalize comprehensive postal reform legislation, we can ensure that this invaluable American institution, enshrined in the Constitution, will survive and thrive in a new century. But the clock is ticking.”

Although the Postal Reform Act of 2011 was passed out of the relevant House committee in October 2011, leaders in the House have yet to schedule a vote on the bill. Last week, however, the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan 21st Century Postal Service Act, co-authored by Sens. Carper, Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.), on a 62-37 vote. This legislation gives the Postal Service the flexibility and resources it needs to right-size, modernize, and remain competitive in the 21st Century.

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