WASHINGTON, March 8 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to pass the Postal Service Reform Act, legislation that Sanders cosponsored:

“The people of Vermont and all over this country are increasingly concerned about the long delays they are experiencing in getting the mail they need. Senior citizens and veterans are not getting the prescription drugs they need on time. Working families have been forced to pay late fees because it is taking much longer than normal for the Postal Service to mail their bills. That is unacceptable.

“For a number of years I have fought to strengthen and expand the United States Postal Service, and I am very pleased that, today, the Senate was able to pass the Postal Service Reform Act. This bill ends the disastrous prefunding mandate which costs the Postal Service billions every year, protects six-day delivery, and gives the Postal Service the ability to offer new consumer products and services. Is this all that is needed to fix the problems at the Postal Service? No, it is not. But it is an important step forward for one of our nation’s most popular and important government agencies, for its workers, and for the communities it serves.

“Now we must work to ensure that Vermonters and people across the country receive their mail on-time and that postal workers are provided good pay, benefits and dignity on the job.”

Sanders voted against the 2006 law signed by President George W. Bush that required the Postal Service to pre-fund 75-years of future retiree health benefits for employees who haven’t even been born. Sanders has fought to repeal this absurd prefunding requirement ever since it passed, and successfully led the fight to beat back efforts to privatize the USPS and close rural post offices and mail processing facilities in Vermont and across the country.