Monday, January 06, 2014

Bill would let USPS drop 1st-class mail on Sat., restore benefit cut for young military retirees

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) introduced a bill last week to replace the controversial new cut in pension benefits for working-age military retirees by ending Saturday delivery of first-class and standard mail, Josh Hicks reports for The Washington Post.

The pension cut "trims one percentage point off the annual cost-of-living increase for working-age military retirees as part of the budget deal that Congress and the president approved last month," Hicks writes. "The change is projected to save an estimated $6 billion over 10 years." The U.S. Postal Service budget is separate, but if it keeps running deficits Congress would have to bail it out. Issa claims his bill would save $17 billion over the next decade.

The bill mirrors proposals from USPS. Post & Parcel reports, "Package delivery and express services would continue to take place six days per week, while post office opening hours would not be affected. The proposals would require five days per week mail delivery even when a federal holiday takes place, and appear to require six days per week package delivery for competitive services only, rather than monopoly services," those only USPS offers. (Read more)

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