Trump looks to privatize the US Postal Service during his second term | US Postal Service
Donald Trump in recent weeks has expressed keen interest in privatizing the United States Postal Service (USPS) due to its financial losses, the Washington Post reports. I mentioned on Saturday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.
The report stated that Trump, who begins his second presidency of the United States on January 20, discussed his desire to privatize the US Postal Service with Howard Lutnick, his choice for Secretary of Commerce, at his home in Mar-a-Lago.
As the newspaper noted, the move could disrupt consumer shipping and commercial supply chains while pushing hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of government.
However, Trump assembled a group of officials advising him on his move to the White House and asked them for their opinions on privatizing the agency. After being informed of his annual financial losses, Trump said the US Postal Service should not be supported by the government, according to the people who spoke with the newspaper on the condition of anonymity so they could speak frankly about private conversations.
Trump’s specific plans to reform and privatize the USPS were not immediately clear. But he came into conflict with the agency during his first presidency, as he sought to force it to hand over key functions – including labor relations, managing relationships with its largest clients, and setting rates and personnel – to the federal Treasury.
Meanwhile, before his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 election after his first presidency, Trump said the US Postal Service was unable to facilitate mail-in voting because it was blocking the agency from accessing emergency funding. In the end, as the newspaper noted, USPS delivered nearly 98% of voters’ ballots to election officials within three days despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The USPS is older than the United States itself, having been founded in 1775. It became a financially self-sufficient agency in 1970 and is one of the most beloved federal agencies, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center study. quote By mail.
In the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the U.S. Postal Service lost $9.5 billion after modernizing facilities and equipment did little to offset a decline in mail volume as well as a slower-than-expected package shipping business, according to a newspaper report. The Postal Service’s annual financial report revealed liabilities of nearly $80 billion.
Reuters contributed reporting