The US Postal Service is in debt. Last year, the agency lost nearly $16 billion dollars from overspending. To combat some of the mounting costs, the agency announced in February that it would be dropping Saturday Service later in 2013. Congress didn’t find this solution to be a good one and later nixed the idea, adding an addendum to a spending bill stating the USPS needed to be open six days a week, rather than five.
There was a lengthy battle between the USPS and Congress concerning whether or not it was legal for Congress to block the Postal Service’s decision to close down on Saturdays. According to the LA Times, the decision was even more controversial since the USPS had gone to congress asking for financial help. No reforms were passed, leaving the USPS to choose the controversial plan b.
Honestly, the post office is facing larger budgetary issues than cutting mail service on Saturdays could possibly achieve. According to plans, cutting Saturday Service would only reduce about $2 billion from the USPS’ budgets, which means there is much more that would need to go to get back in the black. Plus, if mail service is cut down to only five days a week, the time it takes for mail to be delivered would certainly be affected, if only marginally.
I think nearly everyone would agree that the USPS needs reform, but I don’t think cutting one service will do the trick. The agency needs a complete overhaul, and it needs it before the bills stack up any higher.
