about 3 weeks ago. Here is the reply I received:
Thank you for contacting me in regard to the United States Postal Service (USPS). It is a privilege to serve you in Congress and I value your input.
Since Fiscal Year 2006, total mail volume has declined by more than 25% and is predicted to continue to decline for the foreseeable future. The decline is largely due to the electronic diversion of mail. More bills were paid in electronic form rather than through paper mail in 2010 and there has been a large shift to electronic advertising which is beginning to supplant so-called "junk mail." Due to factors such as these, the United States Postal Service (USPS) total revenue is down nearly $10 billion since FY2008 and USPS has recorded losses each year since 2007. By the end of 2012, USPS had exhausted its $15 billion in borrowing authority from the Treasury and defaulted on $11.1 billion in payments to fund retiree health care benefits from current employees. Additionally, USPS has already announced it will also not pay a $5.6 billion payment due at the end of this fiscal year to fund retiree health benefits. There is strong possibility that the USPS will miss other critical payments that are still to come.
In an effort to save money and deal with its increasing deficit, the USPS announced recently that as of August 5, 2013 the service will begin 5 day delivery, ending first class and standard delivery mail on Saturdays. This will mean that all First-Class letters, Standard mail, periodicals, and catalogs will not be delivered to residential and business addresses on Saturday. However, what will not change is as follows:
· All packages, including medicine, will be delivered.
· All priority and express mail will be delivered.
· Post offices now open on Saturday will remain open.
· Mail delivery to P.O. Boxes will continue unchanged.
This move by the U.S.P.S. is projected to save $2 billion annually. However, this will not be enough to save the Postal Service.
Given our nation's current economic situation, expenditures of taxpayer dollars at all levels must be closely scrutinized. Congress must save taxpayer dollars while properly funding the nation's priorities. This is a tough task, but we must get our fiscal house in order.
It is my hope that Congress will work tirelessly with USPS to come up with sound solutions and avoid a taxpayer funded bailout and save America's mail service.
I fired back that I don't appreciate being lied to as the real reason is the pre-funded pension. I am still waiting a response to that letter where I called bullshit!
= new reply since forum marked as read
