The U.S. Postal Service announced on Wednesday, April 10, that it will be withdrawing its plan to end Saturday mail service.

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service met on Tuesday, April 9, and decided to take back the plan because Congress has prohibited the change.

According to a press release from the USPS Board: “By including restrictive language in the Continuing Resolution, Congress has prohibited implementation of a new national delivery schedule for mail and packages, which would consist of package delivery Monday through Saturday and mail delivery Monday through Friday, and which would have taken effect the week of Aug. 5, 2013.”

The press release went on to say the board was disappointed with the Congressional action and has instructed the Postal Service to delay the new schedule implementation that was set to begin in August. The board also noted that it hopes Congress would pass legislation allowing the USPS “to implement a financially appropriate and responsible delivery schedule.”

The board said it continues to support the new delivery schedule, which would help generate upwards of $2 billion in savings for the USPS.

“To restore the Postal Service to long-term financial stability, the Postal Service requires the flexibility to reduce costs and generate new revenues to close an ever widening budgetary gap,” said the press release about the change. “It is not possible for the Postal Service to meet significant cost reduction goals without changing its delivery schedule – any rational analysis of our current financial condition and business options leads to this conclusion. Delaying responsible changes to the Postal Service business model only increases the potential that the Postal Service may become a burden to the American taxpayer, which is avoidable.”

In light of the delay to the cost saving measures, the USPS hopes to reopen negotiations with postal unions, while also asking management to find other options to increase revenue.

To learn more, visit the USPS website.