SIOUX FALLS (AP) -- Sen. John Thune says the U.S. Postal Service has to be reformed to ensure its long-term viability, but whether a new proposal is aggressive enough to remedy its financial woes remains to be seen.
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said Wednesday that the mail agency was backing off its plan to close up to 3,700 low-revenue post offices sometime after May 15.
Citing community opposition, the agency now says it will whittle down full-time staff but maintain a part-time post office presence in rural areas with access to retail lobbies and post office boxes.
Thune says the Postal Service cannot continue to lose money every year because it puts the American taxpayer on the hook. But he says that closing rural post offices is not the answer.
