Washington, DC—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement in response to the Postal Service’s announcement that 223 postal process facilities had been selected for full or partial consolidation:

“Although I understand that the Postal Service needs to downsize its infrastructure, I am deeply concerned with plans to consolidate more than 200 processing facilities and eliminate up to 30,000 jobs before Congress has considered comprehensive legislation to reform this essential institution.

“I have introduced legislation, the Innovate to Deliver Act, H.R. 2967, that would return to the Postal Service funds it has overpaid into the federal retirement system, enabling the Postal Service to compassionately right-size its workforce and pay down its debts.  My bill would also allow the Postal Service to develop new products to meet the demands of a changing marketplace.

“Given the urgent financial challenges confronting the Postal Service, Congress should immediately consider and pass bipartisan legislation that will position the Postal Service to meet these challenges and continue to deliver for our nation in the years to come.”