Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to Discuss Challenges Facing Postal Service at National Press Club, 10 a.m., Tues., Jan. 6, Murrow Room

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Jan 05, 2015, 10:25 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Jan. 5, the United States Postal Service will lower standards for mail delivery across the nation. Mail will take longer to reach its final destination. In contrast, USPS expanded package delivery to seven days a week during the holiday season. Where is USPS headed in an era of growing ecommerce and package delivery, but a drop in the use of mail for bill-paying and personal correspondence?

What about USPS' finances? The postal service just reported its best quarter financially in seven years. Yet, USPS has been hobbled by a Congressional requirement to pre-pay billions in retiree healthcare costs. Congress also adjourned last year without approving either new members for USPS' Board of Governors or enacting postal reform legislation that was years in the making.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe who has led USPS since 2011, during one of the Service's most turbulent periods, and is leaving his post on Feb 1, will offer a frank appraisal on what is working and what needs to be fixed at a Newsmaker news conference 10 a.m., Tues. Jan 6, in the National Press Club's Murrow Room. Past National Press Club President Angela Greiling Keane, who previously covered USPS for Bloomberg News, will host the event.

CONTACT: Angela Greiling Keane NPC Newsmaker Event Host 202-654-1287 [email protected] or J Horwitz at 202-549-4921, [email protected]

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SOURCE National Press Club