Business & Tech

U.S. Senate Candidates Oppose Ending Saturday Mail Deliveries

The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday proposed ending first-class mail delivery on Saturdays.

In the coming weeks, Congressmen Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch will likely try to distance themselves as they seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

But on Wednesday, both men spoke out about the U.S. Postal Service’s proposal to cut first-class mail delivery on Saturday. The plan calls to end regular mail service, while maintaining Saturday delivery for packages and express mail.

Lynch, who served as Easton's congressman until redistricting last year, said he is “deeply concerned” that the postal service announced its proposal “without congressional consent.

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“The elimination of Saturday mail delivery will have a negative impact on thousands of businesses across the nation that are operating on a six-day schedule.  This could be a damaging policy change in a fragile economy. 

"Clearly, the Postal Service continues to face a variety of significant fiscal challenges, from decreasing mail volume and declining revenue, to the onerous mandate that the agency prefund its retiree health benefit obligations 75 years before it is necessary.  However, I do not believe that the solution to improving the financial viability of the Postal Service will be found in a unilateral and legally-questionable move to five-day delivery, but rather through the enactment of bipartisan, comprehensive, and well-reasoned postal reform legislation.”   

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Markey said the move would not only hurt businesses, but “negatively affect many of the hardworking people of the U.S. Postal Service who perform such a vital job for our country.”

Markey added that he co-sponsored a bill that would ensure the continuation of the six-day delivery service.

 “While I recognize the challenges posed by recent declines in mail volume, piecemeal attempts to modify longstanding Postal Service operations are not the solution. Instead, Congress should enact comprehensive postal reform that frees the Postal Service from unnecessary requirements that undercut its competitiveness and profitability. The Postal Service should also be given more flexibility to innovate with new products.”


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