By Tom Coburn

In "There's No Need to End Saturday Mail Delivery" (op-ed, March 5), Sen. Bernie Sanders comes out swinging against those concerned about the U.S. Postal Service's financial future, arguing everything is fine the way it is. Unfortunately, his arguments don't hold up.

Sen. Sanders's primary concern is the "prefunding" requirements for senior health care, without which he says the USPS would have been profitable. However, it has not even made the payments for several years. Moreover, whether the payments are made now or later, the bill for senior health care will eventually come due—a fact most senators on both sides accept.

The reality is the USPS is on the brink of a financial crisis, and it is foolish to think that the long-term prospects for mail volume are good. While Sen. Sanders seems intent to cast anyone worried about the Postal Service's finances as an "antigovernment" nut, no one has been louder on the need to eliminate six-day delivery than President Obama. In fact, the president's budget once again called for the move to five-day delivery, and he would do so faster than the Carper-Coburn bill.

Our bipartisan bill includes common-sense reforms that will enable the Postal Service to continue to provide service to the American people in a way that balances its costs and revenues. In addition to easing the "pre-funding" requirements to provide short-term relief, it also reforms one of the biggest cost-drivers for USPS, health-care benefits. It even requires some of the same things Sen. Sanders is calling for, such as shipping wine, beer and spirits. It is pure myth to say the bill would lead to the loss of 100,000 jobs or slow down the mail.

Resorting to scare tactics and specious arguments does a disservice to the hardworking men and women of the Postal Service and the American public who rely on them.