WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman today issued the following statement regarding Senate efforts to address the postal financial crisis.
“With financial losses of $15.9 billion in fiscal 2012, and deficits accumulating at a rate of $25 million per day, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing unprecedented challenges to adapt to how people communicate and conduct business today. Stopgap measures that are not part of a broader solution need to be replaced by more comprehensive postal reform that provides the flexibility for USPS to adapt its business model while ensuring that mail continues to be an affordable, reliable, and dependable service upon which all Americans depend.
“To solve this financial crisis, Congress, Postal Service leadership, and regulatory authorities must to work together with a sense of urgency to enable the Postal Service to operate within the new market realities. This is not only a matter of cutting costs, but also leveraging the Postal Service’s unique delivery network to preserve and attract new sources of revenue.
“Last year, the Senate took a step in the right direction by passing a bipartisan postal reform bill, and we urge Congress to continue this work to allow the Postal Service to regain fiscal stability and return certainty to this essential service.”
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