(Washington, D.C.) - Montana's U.S. Senators Max Baucus met with the Montana Delegation of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States today to hear their concerns over proposals to shut down Montana post offices and consolidate Montana area mail processing facilities.

"Today's meeting inspired me to do even more to send the message to the Postal Service that closing rural post offices and sending Montana area mail processing facilities out of state will not create the kind of savings necessary for a long term solution," said Baucus. "Whether we're talking Absarokee or Avon, Wolf Creek or West Yellowstone - we need all hands on deck to make sure the Postal Service seriously considers the voices of Montanans."

Baucus successfully secured a commitment from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to come to Montana before making further decisions on cutting or consolidating Montana postal services.

The Montana delegation of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States who met with Baucus today included:

• Mona Troy, President - Postmaster of Wolf Creek
• Rhonda Gallagher, Secretary/Treasurer - Postmaster of Absarokee
• Jasmine Krotkov, Editor - Postmaster of Neihart
• Darla Day, Postmaster Representative - Postmaster of Huntley
• Janice Erfle, Postmaster Retired, Postmaster of Rapelje

"It's important the Postmaster General listen to Montanans before it makes any rash decisions to shut down Post Offices. We appreciate Senator Baucus' effort to work on ways to address the Postal Service's fiscal problems without unfairly targeting post offices and customers in rural areas. Max grew up on the family ranch in Wolf Creek - so it's clear he knows how much this Post Office means to our community."
-Mona Troy, Wolf Creek Postmaster

"When you look at the recommendations coming from the Postal Service to shut down rural post offices, it's clear that to them 'Absarokee' is just a line on a spreadsheet. Working together with Senator Baucus, we're committed to making sure our communities have a fair say and are given the chance to make our case as the Postal Service considers some drastic changes."
-Rhonda Gallagher, Postmaster of Absarokee

"I'm deeply concerned about a decline in service for rural communities should the Postal Service move forward with plans to shut down Montana post offices. We understand they are in a tight fiscal situation, but we believe there's a long term solution that won't unfairly target communities like Neihart."
-Jasmine Krotkov, Neihart Postmaster

"The Huntley community understands that difficult choices must be made when the budget is tight, but we join Senator Baucus in calling on the Postal Service to look at better ways to trim its budget and payroll than simply shutting down post offices like ours."
-Darla Day, Postmaster of Huntley

"The Rapelje Post Office is a vital community center that is relied upon heavily to make sure our high school can ship out standardized tests in time as well as to make sure our sick and elderly can get climate-sensitive medicine in a timely fashion. We do not have reliable broadband access which makes the work of our post office that more critical. We appreciate Senator Baucus listening to our concerns and his continued effort to seek a long term solution to the Postal Service's financial situation."
-Janice Erfle, retired Rapelje Postmaster

Just last week, Baucus and Senator Tester pressed the Postal Service to work harder to identify cost-savings measures such as getting rid of underused and expensive facilities in urban areas before cutting rural post offices.

Recent timeline of Baucus' work includes:

February 23, 2012 - Baucus Presses Postal Service to Back Away from Sending Missoula Mail to Spokane
December 13, 2011 - Baucus Staves off Rural Post Office Closures, Works on Postal Service Solution
November 29, 2011 - Baucus Blasts Plan to Send Montana Mail, Jobs Out of State
October 4, 2011 - Baucus Introduces Bill to Aid Cash-Strapped Postal Service, Keep Remote Rural Offices Open
October 3, 2011 - Baucus Demands Postal Service Properly Consider Montana Public Comment
September 8, 2011 - Baucus Invites Post Master General to Montana
August 31, 2011 - Baucus Encourages Montanans to Weigh In on Postal Closings
July 26, 2011 - Baucus Slams Study on More Rural Postal Closings
July 8, 2011 - Baucus Demands Justification for Postal Closings
May 13, 2011 - Baucus Meets with Postmaster General
May 2, 2011 - Baucus Calls for Meeting with Postmaster General