NELSON: GRIDLOCK PUTS POSTAL SERVICES AT RISK

April 18, 2012 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson said political obstruction and gridlock in Congress are increasing chances the U.S. Postal Service will close 3,700 rural post offices across the country, including 90 in Nebraska.
“If Congress doesn’t pass a postal reform bill soon, there’s nothing to stop the U.S. Postmaster General from going ahead with a draconian cost-savings plan. The plan would close 90 Nebraska post offices, mainly in rural communities, and a number of mail processing centers,” Senator Nelson said during his weekly conference call with members of the Nebraska news media.
Yesterday, the Senate delivered a 74-22 vote in favor of moving forward with bipartisan postal reform legislation. Unfortunately, the bill is now stalled because one senator demanded a vote on an unrelated measure – it was about foreign aid to Egypt – which led to partisan disagreements about procedure and stopped the progress of the postal reform bill.
“I am concerned about senators throwing monkey wrenches – like their pet issues – into the process that only succeed in delay, obstruction and job-killing gridlock,” Nelson said.
In order to reduce expenses, the Postal Service has proposed closing 3,700, mainly rural, post offices and many mail processing centers across the country. Last December, at the urging of Nelson and nearly two dozen of his colleagues, the Postal Service agreed to a moratorium on closing post offices. That moratorium expires on May 15.
“Tens of thousands of jobs are in jeopardy. Our rural communities are at risk of losing a vital means of communication and public services,” Nelson said. “Rural post offices, the services they provide, and the people who provide them, have great value to communities across Nebraska.
“Congress needs to work with the Postal Service to fix the problems before deciding to reduce services to people who need them. But we can’t do that if some continue with their tactics that only delay and obstruct Congress. Time’s running out.”
Nelson has worked with his colleagues to strengthen the postal reform legislation by including provisions to protect rural post offices from closings, maintain Saturday delivery service, continue appropriate delivery standards for first class mail, and set up a commission to study ways to develop a new business model for the postal service that would make it more profitable.