Half of Senate Calls for End to Proposed Postal Cuts in Bipartisan Letter

Half of the Senate on Thursday called for a one-year hold on the U.S. Postal Service's plans to close mail-processing plants, saying the move should come as part of any legislation to avoid another government shutdown.

Fifty senators signed a bipartisan letter to top members of the House and Senate appropriations committees opposing USPS plans for closing up to 82 plants and eliminating up to 15,000 jobs starting next year.

The Postal Service this week reported a $2 billion loss for the third quarter, despite increasing its revenue by 2 percent compared to the same period in 2013.