Rural areas across the country are very concerned about what the future holds for their mail service, and most rural residents have a negative feeling about what is going to happen.
Rural residents have been concerned about their mail delivery for a number of years as they, like everybody else, have seen their postal rates go up twice a year and their service diminish.
For a number of years, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been in financial trouble – in the hole for billions of dollars every year. I think Congress has bailed them out a time or two, but mostly, they have just continued to raise their rates.
I’ve always thought one of the issues USPS had to deal with were the four unions involved. One of the union’s agreements was to always have five-year benefits and retirement funds on hand. This action usually kept USPS in the red.
The USPS seems to have a lot of managers. The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service sets policy, procedure and postal rates for services rendered. Of the 11 members of the board, nine are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The nine appointed members then select the postmaster general who oversees day-to-day operations. The Postal Regulatory Commission, an independent agency, is also responsible for oversight of the USPS, including oversight of rates and services, ensuring USPS meets all of its legal requirements.
So it’s safe to say, none of us as customers have much say in management. The same can mostly be said for Congress as well.
Wyoming’s congressional members have been working with the folks back home to develop changes and stop unwanted actions by the postmaster general and Board of Governors. When we see them in the state of Wyoming, be sure to thank them. They have all been trying hard to clean up the postal mess while keeping quality services.
The funny thing is, the USPS blames Congress for their troubles – give us a break!
Under the “Delivering for America” plan, USPS recently came out with a letter detailing what they want to do.
It explained the agency will be “working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to improve the USPS. This 10-year strategy will address current mail trends and will work to solve financial challenges. This plan will be split into two phases and will affect first-class mail, periodicals, marketing mail and package services. The first phase will begin on April 1, where 14 percent of first-class mail will be downgraded to a lower standard and July 1 for other changes.”
The postmaster general wants to cut around 10,000 jobs out of the 640,000-man workforce. This latest effort is part of a broader attempt to curb costs, as it deals with calls for privatization and potential restrictions under President Donald J. Trump’s administration.
The outgoing postmaster general wants DOGE to examine the “unfunded mandates imposed on USPS by Congress,” as he calls them. Some of these are delivering mail six days a week and maintaining rural post offices. I believe those are services vital to rural America.
Trump wants to move USPS to the Department of Commerce. I think whatever they do, they need to get rid of the union workforce and top-heavy management boards.
Dennis Sun is the publisher of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, a weekly agriculture newspaper available in print and online.
