Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersJacobin editor: Primarying Schumer would force him to fight Trump's SCOTUS nominee Trump campaign plays up Biden's skills ahead of Cleveland debate: 'He's actually quite good' Young voters backing Biden by 2:1 margin: poll MORE (I-Vt.) wants the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to improve its overnight delivery in the wake of reports that wait times for mail are increasing.

"In light of the significant slowdown in mail delivery, I am writing to urge you to reinstate regional overnight delivery standards and to do everything possible to speed up these services," he said in a letter sent on Wednesday to Megan Brennan, the postmaster general.





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Sanders sent the letter following a USPS inspector general report that found mail was not being processed in a timely manner during the first half of 2015.

"We found in the first 6 months of 2015 delayed processing increased by about 494 million mailpieces (a 48 percent increase), as compared to the same period last year," said the report from Robert Batta, the deputy assistant inspector general for mission operations.

Sanders, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, said that the findings were "unacceptable."

"I have heard from people all over this country who have reported serious delays in receiving life-saving prescription drugs, and the bills that they need to pay to keep the lights and electricity on in their homes," he said.

The Postal Service announced in January that it was eliminating overnight delivery for first-class mail. That followed an announcement in 2012 that it would consolidate roughly 140 processing facilities.

The Vermont senator called both decisions a "disaster that is negatively impacting Americans all over this country."

Sanders added that he would be introducing legislation that would eliminate the current requirement that USPS pre-fund retiree healthcare benefits and "allow the Postal Service to offer more, not fewer, services that the American people want and need."