DeFazio says USPS victim of 'political agenda' in Washington

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) this week charged Republicans with trying to gut the U.S. Postal Service in order to hand off a large chunk of the mail delivery industry to the private sector.

"What we have here is people who want to kill it off, cream off the profitable stuff for the private sector," DeFazio told KMTR in Oregon.

"And then, what happens to the tens of millions of people who don't have access to those services in the private sector?" he asked. "You can't afford them? It would be a stupid thing to do to this country, but there's a very political agenda here."

KMTR reported that 150 people attended a Wednesday meeting on plans by USPS to close three Oregon mail-sorting facilities. Democrats in particular have argued that the 2006 law requiring USPS pay for future retiree benefits 75 years ahead of time is cutting off the service's cash flow.

DeFazio told KMTR that he wants to give the USPS more authority to set postal rates.