The United States Postal Service (USPS) could close thousands of post offices, reduce service levels and raise prices if Congress does not approve legislation to address the agency’s financial problems, Postmaster General David Steiner recently warned.
In remarks delivered to the USPS Board of Governors on Friday, Steiner said Congress faces an either-or choice: provide the Postal Service with legislative changes and federal funding to support its public-service obligations or leave USPS to pursue more aggressive measures to reach financial break-even on its own.
“We have peak season coming up, so we would not take any action until after the New Year, but if we can’t get agreement on a legislative package this year, our plans would certainly have to entail changes that will impact service like taking a look at our service levels and closing thousands of unprofitable post offices, as well as raising prices,” Steiner said.
PMG 76 is not the first to threaten reduced delivery days. It did not work for him.
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In February 2013, PMG Donahoe announced a plan to cut Saturday FCM delivery starting August 5, 2013, aiming to save $2 billion annually. However, Congress blocked the plan by passing legislation protecting six-day mail delivery, and the USPS officially abandoned the shift in April 2013.