Missouri senator seeks delay in post office cuts

In her ongoing fight to prevent the closure of some 3,700 post offices nationwide, Sen. Claire McCaskill joined other members of Congress on Friday in asking for a six-month moratorium on any postal facility closures while Congress attempts to implement cost-saving procedures.

McCaskill is one of 18 senators asking for the grace period. Their request comes just days after the U.S. Postal Service announced that it was considering possibly closing 252 of its mail-processing centers and eliminating next-day delivery service.

Missouri's Democratic senator argues Congress should be given time to enact reforms before the postal service implements radical reforms on its own.

"While we may have very different views on how to financially improve the postal service, we all believe that democratically elected members of the Senate and the House have the responsibility to make significant changes to the postal service," McCaskill and her colleagues wrote. "Unfortunately, we are concerned that the postal service may preempt Congress on this matter by closing or consolidating nearly 3,700 mostly rural post offices, over 250 mail processing facilities, and eliminating overnight delivery for first class mail before postal reform legislation is enacted."