President Trump’s attempts to exert control over the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) have raised concerns about its ability to deliver mail reliably, particularly in rural areas. Although Trump has no immediate plans for a takeover, he suggested a reorganization to address financial losses. Critics fear possible privatization could threaten union jobs and increase delivery costs. Legal experts warn that moving the USPS under the Commerce Department may violate federal law. Union leaders and lawmakers argue that changes could lead to political interference and worsening service. While USPS continues to face financial challenges, some believe its situation is improving.
President Trump’s efforts to gain greater influence over the U.S. Postal Service have raised fears that such actions could undermine the agency’s ability to consistently deliver mail across the nation, which is essential to its core mission.
White House representatives have indicated that Mr. Trump does not have immediate intentions to take control of the Postal Service, which has functioned independently for over fifty years. Nonetheless, the president hinted on Friday at the possibility of a significant reorganization of the agency, which he has long criticized and sought to weaken.
Many interpret this effort as a potential move by the Trump administration towards privatizing the Postal Service, a strategy Mr. Trump has previously mentioned. Such a scenario has alarmed union leaders, advocacy organizations, and Democratic legislators who argue that privatizing or outsourcing essential services could jeopardize thousands of postal jobs or lead to increased costs for customers. Critics also assert that this initiative would disproportionately impact rural areas, where delivery is often less profitable for private carriers.
“We believe it would lead to a death spiral for whatever remains,” stated Brian L. Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “Rural communities would feel the brunt of this.”
Taking over the Postal Service could also rekindle fears about the president’s ability to influence mail-in ballot deliveries during national elections. In 2020, as mail-in voting surged due to the pandemic, Mr. Trump faced accusations from political opponents of attempting to manipulate ballot delivery in areas favoring Democrats.
Millions of Americans depend on the post office to ensure their mail-in ballots arrive by the deadline.
On Friday, Mr. Trump mentioned that the White House would explore a “form of a merger” to address the Postal Service’s financial deficits, although he maintained that the agency would “remain the Postal Service.” He noted that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who possesses “great business acumen,” would assist in this initiative.
“Our goal is to have a well-functioning post office that doesn’t incur massive losses,” Mr. Trump remarked. “I believe it will perform significantly better than it has in the past. It has been a tremendous liability for our country.”
These remarks followed a report from The Washington Post last week indicating that he was preparing to sign an executive order to remove members of the agency’s governing board and place the Postal Service under the Commerce Department.
For Mr. Trump, the Postal Service presents a politically advantageous target. Its workforce is predominantly comprised of unionized employees who have actively opposed the privatization of American mail delivery.
The administration’s inclination to overhaul the Postal Service coincides with the agency’s ongoing financial struggles and declining mail volume. In the 2024 fiscal year, the service experienced a loss of $9.5 billion, an increase from $6.5 billion the previous year. However, the agency has recently reported more favorable financial outcomes, including a profit in the first quarter of the fiscal year.
Legal and postal experts have indicated that the Trump administration’s approach would likely violate existing laws. Anne Joseph O’Connell, a Stanford University administrative law professor, stated that moving the agency under the Commerce Department would contravene the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. While the Postal Service was once a cabinet-level department, that law restructured it into an independent agency overseen by a board of governors, consisting of up to nine members appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
“They would require congressional approval,” Ms. O’Connell added.
Mr. Trump’s proposals have caused unease among union leaders and Democratic lawmakers who have expressed worries about the potential impacts on countless Americans who rely on the agency for their mail delivery.
“This shortsighted plan will not enhance delivery performance or place the Postal Service on a sustainable fiscal trajectory,” House Democrats on the Oversight Committee stated in a letter on Saturday. “Instead, it could expose the Postal Service and the entire mail network to political meddling, fluctuating administrative priorities, and soaring costs.”
The Postal Service declined to comment on the matter.
Efforts to privatize the post office could worsen service quality in rural areas, where private firms would have less incentive to serve, according to James S. O’Rourke, a management and organization professor at the University of Notre Dame, who has studied the Postal Service.
“Mr. Trump’s references to Amazon, UPS, and FedEx are misplaced, as they likely wouldn’t want a third of what the U.S. Postal Service delivers,” Mr. O’Rourke remarked.
The Postal Service’s “universal service obligation” mandates that the agency delivers to all Americans at a reasonable price, though the specifics of this mandate are somewhat vague. The agency serves approximately 167 million addresses across every state, city, and town.
Mr. O’Rourke also expressed concern regarding the potential effects on mail-in ballot deliveries and whether the Trump administration would maintain this service should it gain control over the Postal Service.
“I find this deeply troubling, given the volume of ballots delivered in the last election,” Mr. O’Rourke said. “The president has been a vocal critic of vote by mail initiatives in recent years.”
Some Republican legislators have contended that significant reforms are necessary to stabilize the agency, commending Mr. Trump’s objectives. “It’s no secret that I have been a staunch critic of how the U.S.P.S. has been managed,” stated Representative Rich McCormick, a Republican from Georgia, in a statement. “It’s time for substantial changes, and I applaud President Trump for pursuing innovative solutions to this issue.”
Recently, both Democrats and Republicans have criticized the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, for what they describe as ineffective attempts to enhance the agency’s finances and service quality. Last week, Mr. DeJoy announced his intention to resign and “begin contemplating the next phase of my life” after serving more than four years in that position.
Mr. DeJoy has been the face of a significant 10-year modernization initiative known as Delivering for America, introduced in early 2021, aimed at stabilizing an agency that had lost $87 billion over the past 14 years. This plan included consolidating locations, raising prices, and extending delivery timeframes.
Initially, the plan projected that the Postal Service would achieve financial equilibrium by the 2023 fiscal year. However, the agency has continued to experience losses, which postal management attributes to high inflation, increased labor costs, and a lack of administrative action to amend the agency’s pension costs. While the agency has received some federal financial assistance in recent years, it primarily does not receive tax funding for operational expenses and instead relies on revenue generated from its services.
The Postal Service has also faced challenges with service levels. In the 2024 fiscal year, 81 percent of single-piece first-class letters and postcards were delivered on time—this category represents the most commonly used mail service by households. This figure decreased from 88 percent the previous year and fell short of the agency’s aim of 92 percent, according to Postal Service data.
Observers of the Postal Service have noted some signs of financial improvement and emphasized that its leadership still has several years left to execute the modernization initiative, which was not designed to immediately resolve the agency’s long-standing issues.
“It’s not all gloom and doom,” remarked Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, representing over 200,000 Postal Service employees and retirees. “If this administration is genuinely interested in improving finances, there are straightforward ways to accomplish this, rather than orchestrating a coup.”