ECONOMICS REPORT - The United States Postal Service Warns of Default

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

The United States Postal Service has a history as long as the nation's.

美国邮政服务和美国一样历史悠久。 

The Second Continental Congress appointed（任命）Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General（邮政大臣）in 1775.

This week, current Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe brought an urgent message to a Senate(参议院） committee. 

He told the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

that the Post Office could need more money by the end of the month.

PATRICK DONAHOE: " Without the enactment（制定） of comprehensive legislation(法律） by September 30, 

the Postal Service will default（拖欠债务） on a mandated（强制执行） 5.5 billion dollar payment 

to the Treasury to pre-fund retirement retiree health benefits. Our situation is urgent."

The Postal Service had losses of almost six billion dollars for the nine-month period ending in June. 

That could grow to ten billion for the year. 

Part of the deficit(赤字） is a five and a half billion dollar payment to the federal retirement plan for postal workers.

Mister Donahoe is asking Congress to approve huge changes to the Postal Service. 

He wants to cut over 100,000 workers, close thousands of post offices and end Saturday mail delivery. 

He says the service needs to operate more like a business.

PATRICK DONAHOE: "As a self-financing entity that depends on the sale of postage for its revenues, 

the Postal Service requires the ability to operate more as a business does."

The Postal Service is responsible for its own financing and not part of the federal budget. 

But it does take part in federal retirement and health plans. 

It says it has paid too much to federal retirement plans and wants at least seven billion dollars returned.

Mister Donahoe also wants to pull the Postal Service out of the federal benefit plans. 

He says the service's proposals could cut twenty billion dollars by 2015 and return it to profitability.

John Berry is director of the federal Office of Personnel Management which supervises federal retirement and health plans. 

He said the Obama administration would soon announce its own plan.

At the hearing, Senator Susan Collins criticized the administration for not having a plan already. 

Leaders of two labor unions representing postal workers have also criticized the proposed cuts.

代表邮政工人的两个工会的领袖也批评所提议的裁员。

The United States Postal Service has over 560,000 employees.  

It reported revenue of sixty-seven billion dollars last year -- more than either of its biggest private competitors, FedEx or UPS.

去年的收入是670亿美元，比两个私营竞争者FedEx和UPS都多。

But as the amount of physical mail decreases, so too have the earnings from Postal Service operations.

但随着实体邮件数量的减少，邮政服务的收入也在减少。

Committee member Joseph Lieberman noted the need for change.

JOSEPH LIEBERMAN: "The US Postal Service is not an 18th Century relic(遗迹、遗物）. 

It is a great 21st Century national asset. 

But times are changing rapidly now, and so too must the Postal Service if it is to survive."

US邮政服务不是18世纪的遗物，它是21世纪国家的财富。但现在是瞬息万变的时代，如果邮政服务要生存，就必须变革。