Budget proposal includes many of Sen. Carper’s recommendations for comprehensive reform

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Postal Service, released the following statement reacting to President Obama’s proposal, included in the FY 2013 budget, to address the U.S. Postal Service’s ongoing financial crisis:

“I have been saying for some time now that Congress and the Administration need to come together on a plan that can save the Postal Service and protect the more than seven million jobs that rely on it. The Administration has put forward a plan that appears to include some of the recommendations that I suggested to President Obama last year and that were included in comprehensive reform legislation Sens. Lieberman, Collins, Scott Brown and I introduced this fall.

“Just last week the Postal Service announced that it lost $3.3 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012. The fact that these devastating losses came during a period of the year that is usually the most successful for the Postal Service is truly shocking and underscores the serious nature of the crisis this American institution faces. The Postal Service has reiterated that if nothing is done, it could be insolvent by fall 2012. We can’t let the Postal Service fail on our watch. Congress and the Administration are in agreement that key reforms and resources are necessary if we hope to help the Postal Service recover and thrive. I look forward to working with the Administration and my colleagues over the coming months to provide the Postal Service with the tools and resources it needs.”

On Sept. 9, 2011, Sen. Carper wrote to President Obama suggesting several reforms for the Postal Service that could be included in the President’s proposal to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. Many of those proposals have been incorporated in the President’s FY 2013 budget proposal. To read Sen. Carper’s letter, please click here.