Posted: 4/27/2012

Postal Reform Passes Senate

The Senate passed their legislation overhauling the U.S. Post Office this week with a bipartisan vote of 62-37. The passage comes almost a year after Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe pleaded with Congress to give him the tools to cut costs and save the service from insolvency.

The measure passed by the Senate is significantly watered down from previous versions and phases in most of the service changes over a number of years and makes it more difficult to close any facilities.

The bill now goes to the House, which is seeking more dramatic reforms. The House bill would establish a postal commission to shutter $3 billion worth of post offices and mail-processing centers in the next several years. It also creates another oversight body that would seize power over the Postal Service if it defaults and operates with more than a $2 billion deficit for an extended period of time.

Contact: Jon Bergner
Federal Affairs Director
jbergner@namic.org
202.628.1558 Office