[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 50 (Friday, April 6, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3762-S3763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 71--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
                 NEED TO PRESERVE SIX DAY MAIL DELIVERY

  Mr. HARKIN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Governmental Affairs:

                               S. Res. 71

       Whereas the Postal Service has announced it may consider 
     reducing its six-day mail delivery service to five days, 
     ending Saturday home delivery to offset a projected budget 
     shortfall;
       Whereas the six-day mail delivery is an essential service 
     that U.S. citizens have relied on since 1912, particularly 
     those working families who depend on their paychecks to 
     arrive in the mail on time;
       Whereas many senior citizens only have one source of income 
     through their Social Security checks, which arrive in the 
     mail and any delays would make it difficult for them to 
     purchase items such as food and medicine; and
       Whereas ending Saturday home mail delivery will result in 
     inevitable delays in mail delivery and an increase in costs 
     for employee overtime to control the back-up of mail: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the Sense of the Senate that it is 
     strongly opposed to the elimination of Saturday home and 
     business mail delivery and calls on the United States Postal 
     Service to take all of the necessary steps to assure that 
     six-day home and business mail delivery not be reduced.


[[Page S3763]]


  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing a resolution 
regarding recent reports coming out of the U.S. Postal Service.
  On Tuesday, the United States Postal Service in an effort to cut 
costs announced that it may eliminate Saturday mail delivery, thus 
reducing home delivery to five days a week.
  I believe this would be a terrible mistake. Saturday delivery is an 
essential service, and we should make sure it continues. Eliminating 
the sixth day will lead to inevitable delays for mail delivery as well 
as higher costs to pay overtime to our postal workers.
  So my resolution would put the Senate on record as strongly opposed 
to a cut in service. The amendment will also call on the governing body 
of the Postal Service to take the necessary steps to ensure the 
essential service goes uninterrupted.
  Cutting out the Saturday delivery would represent a major change for 
the service, a service that many Americans, especially our seniors who 
don't use e-mail, have depended on for decades.
  People across America depend on the services of the Postal system. 
Millions of working families depend on the mail for their pay checks, 
millions of seniors depend on the mail for their Social Security 
checks, and millions of poor Americans can't afford computers and don't 
have access to things like e-mail which many of us take for granted. We 
should not let them down.

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