Contact: Eben Burnham-Snyder, Rep. Ed Markey, 202-225-2836

WASHINGTON (April 10, 2013) – Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today released the following statement on the U.S. Postal Service’s announcement today that the agency will delay cutting Saturday delivery at least until September 30, 2013. 

"I welcome the news that the U.S. Postal Service has temporarily suspended its plan to cut Saturday mail delivery. However, this reversal will only remain in place for a matter of months, so in the meantime I will continue to push for Saturday delivery to remain in place permanently. Eliminating Saturday mail delivery would negatively impact small businesses that rely on weekend service, cut jobs and hours for many hardworking postal employees, and harm customers who count on the Postal Service to deliver government benefits and other important financial correspondence,” said Rep. Markey.

Rep. Markey has co-sponsored legislation in Congress that calls on the USPS to take all appropriate measures to maintain its 6-day mail delivery service. He supports comprehensive postal service reform that includes returning to the USPS funds that it has overpaid into its employee retirement accounts, freeing the service from a costly and onerous pre-funding requirement for retiree health benefits, and giving the Postal Service more flexibility to innovate with new products.