Issa Conintues Fight To Save USPS

By Adrianna McGinley

The U.S. Postal Service can and should be saved, said House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) Monday.

“If the fix required that we completely eliminate the post office, I’d be standing here telling you why we have to do it, but it’s not necessary,” Issa said.

Issa has introduced legislation he says will save the postal service without cutting workers’ wages or benefits, and would eliminate the potential for privatizing the service.

“The post office should be run like a business and if they’re run like a business they can pay salaries that they determine and benefits they determine,” Issa said. “But, they’ve got to be able to not need a government subsidy.”

The bill proposes forcing retirement on those who are eligible and it would provide incentives for those who are able to find work elsewhere. Issa said he disagrees with proposals mandating the elimination of six-day service, saying that maintaining the service while proving it cost effective would be most beneficial to consumers. He also criticized plans suggesting money be borrowed from the retirement fund.

Issa proposed several solutions to save money for the service, including investing in cluster mailboxes to replace door chutes, saying it would save $5.5 billion in labor costs, and expressed the need for the Post Master General to be given more decision-making power.

“The one thing we can’t give [the Post Master General] is the ability to do nothing,” he said.