U.S. Sen. Al Franken said he was disappointed in the U.S. Postal Service’s announcement Wednesday to discontinue Saturday delivery.

Franken, D-Minn., helped lead an effort last year in the U.S. Senate to maintain reliable postal delivery for communities across the country.

He said he thinks the five-day delivery will be a disservice to Minnesotans.

“Many Minnesotans rely on the mail to get their essentials like newspapers and paychecks, and for many parts of the state — especially rural communities — the U.S. Postal Service provides the only way to get something delivered,” he said in a news release.

Franken said the decision could have been avoided if the House of Representatives had taken up the bipartisan postal reform bill passed in the Senate last year. The bill would have put the Postal Service on sounder financial footing and would have allowed rural communities to have a greater say in the operation of local post offices.

The bill included an amendment by Franken that would have given the Postal Regulatory Commission the power to overturn closures when communities make a compelling case to keep the facilities open. It would have also reduced the requirement that the Postal Service pre-fund retiree health care benefits.