LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- On Thursday, the U.S. Postal Service announced it is operating deeper in the red, at more than $5 billion in the third quarter.
So far this fiscal year, the U.S. Post Office has lost more than $11 billion.
In July of 2011, the U.S. Post Office in Arkansas formed a list of 179 locations that could be closed or consolidated to cut funds. To date, no changes have been made.
Across the nation, officials with the U.S. Postal Service are waiting on congressional approval to make necessary changes such as a five-day delivery, instead of six.
Postmaster general Patrick Donahoe says, "We remain confident that Congress will do its part to help put the Postal Service on a path to financial stability."
Leisa Tolliver-Gay is a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service in Little Rock.
"Across the board, the Postal Service is losing first-class mail, which is our big revenue generator," Tolliver-Gay says.
According to Tolliver-Gay, one year ago, 179 post offices were slated for closure or consolidation around Arkansas.
"What we're doing [now] is working to keep the smaller post offices open by reducing the retail window hours," Tolliver-Gay adds.
The overall problem, she says, stems from a congressional mandate to pre-fund retirement packages.
"And actually we've overfunded so, and so that's what we're asking Congress to do is to take action on that. That's $5.5 billion a year," says Tolliver-Gay.
The problem is compounded by that decreasing revenue.
In total, there is $11.6 billion lost by the U.S. Postal Service so far this year, nationwide. That's more than doubled compared to this same time last year. Tolliver-Gay says there is nothing the Arkansas Post Office to help the equation, without approval from the U.S. Congress.
"I'm honestly a little disappointed that the House didn't even bring the bill to the floor," says U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas).
Pryor says the Senate is waiting on the House.
The Senate passed a $33 billion Postal Reform Act in April.
"We did restructure what their contributions have to be to the retirement and the health care to put it more on par with other government employees," Senator Pryor says.
THV also spoke with U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Arkansas).
"When somebody is concerned about the post office, they're not writing me a letter about it. They're either emailing me or calling me or something of that nature," Senator Boozman says.
Rep. Tim Griffin says, "The US Postal Service has lost nearly $12 billion over the past year, underscoring the Government Accountability Office's findings that fundamental reform is needed to keep the US Postal Service open for business: I oppose the Senate's $33 billion taxpayer funded bailout that will not save the Postal Service."
The only positive note in this report released Thursday is a 9 percent revenue growth due to shipping and packages.
That growth, however, has not helped the government agency, which is still operating in the red.