- The Trump administration reportedly considered steps that could give it more control over the independent U.S. Postal Service, according to the Washington Post. The White House denied that any executive order involving USPS was in progress.
- Trump spoke about the possibility of privatizing the Postal Service at a news conference in December.
- It’s improbable that Trump could privatize the USPS without congressional approval.
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The White House rejected claims that President Donald Trump is contemplating a decision to place the U.S. Postal Service under the management of his administration, indicating a possible first step toward privatization. The Washington Post reported Thursday, Feb. 20, that the Trump administration plans to fire members of the independent governing board that oversees the USPS.
The Post reported that Trump intends to direct the agency under the Commerce Department and Secretary Howard Lutnick’s direct control.
How did the White House respond and what has Trump said?
The Postal Service has not commented. However, a White House official told the Post the alleged executive order is not in the works.
Trump most recently spoke about privatizing the Postal Service at a news conference in December, saying, “[It’s] not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
How did the American Postal Workers Union respond?
The president of the American Postal Workers Union, Mark Dimondstein, released a statement about the possibility of a USPS takeover.
“If this reporting is true, it would be an outrageous, unlawful attack on a storied national treasure, enshrined in the constitution and created by Congress to serve every American home and business equally,” he said.
It’s improbable that Trump could privatize the USPS without congressional approval.
Under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, Congress split the agency into a freestanding organization, purposefully separating it from influence of politics. Federal law states the government must deliver the mail as a basic and fundamental service.
According to the Post, the board overseeing USPS held an emergency meeting Thursday, laying out steps with a lawyer to sue the White House if Trump were to carry out privatization plans.
What led to the Postmaster General resignation?
During the week of Feb. 17, Postmaster General Louis Dejoy announced his resignation, saying in a letter that he was subjected to “irrational scrutiny” when his ideas to improve USPS got pushback.
The USPS said that under his leadership, it developed and started implementing a 10-year plan to modernize the service and achieve financial sustainability.
But Dejoy’s time there was also filled with delivery delays and financial losses, drawing criticism from both sides of the political aisle.
The agency reported a net loss of nearly $10 billion in fiscal year 2024, compared to a net loss of $6.5 billion for the prior year.
USPS employs more than 600,000 employees.
