Senators Collins and Carper react to Postal Service's statement in opposition of postal reform legislation

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Thomas Carper (D- DE), who are coauthors of the Senate postal reform legislation, have released the following statement reacting to the Postal Service’s last-minute opposition to the bill:

We are extremely troubled and disappointed that at the very last minute, the Postal Service is attempting to block action on our bill – the first attempt at modernizing our postal system in more than three decades. While no legislative product is perfect, we believe this bill, which is the product of years of debate and compromise among a number of interested parties, gives the Postal Service the tools necessary to survive and thrive in the 21st Century.

We’re also outraged that the Postal Service would mislead Senators about what’s in S. 662 in an effort to block it. Nothing in the bill would lead to rate increases. In fact, S. 662 includes a strong rate cap that would prevent the Postal Service from raising rates each year by more than the Consumer Price Index. It also requires that the Postal Service maintain predictability and stability in rates. Finally, it includes language that would shore up the Postal Service’s finances and keep rates stable for years to come by permanently fixing its flawed pension formula. It’s ironic that the Postal Service – which has been forced to raise rates 4 times in 5 years because of its inability to control its costs and respond to the new economic landscape – is accusing us of putting the health of the postal system at risk.

The Postal Service is the only entity out there right now standing in the way of progress on this issue. We join the dozens of groups who’ve endorsed S. 662 in urging the Senate to move this process along and to put us on the path toward reforming the Postal Service for the 21st century.