President Donald Trump is no stranger to bold moves, and his second term is proving no different.
Since returning to office, he has actively reshaped the executive branch, wielding executive orders to restructure government operations.
His willingness to challenge long-standing institutions has led to efforts aimed at streamlining federal agencies, reducing bureaucracy and waste, and asserting more presidential control over entities traditionally considered independent.
One particularly ambitious idea reportedly under consideration is restructuring the United States Postal Service (USPS), which has faced mounting financial losses.
The proposal would dismantle its current status as a semi-independent agency and integrate it into the Department of Commerce.
But while change at the Agency is certainly needed, Wyomingites must ensure that such measures do not undermine the ability of the USPS to help overcome the unique challenges they face sending and receiving mail and packages due to the state’s vast rural landscape.
First and foremost, any postal reform proposal must take into account the USPS’s universal service obligation, which mandates six-day-per-week delivery to nearly every household in the country.
This legal requirement, borne out of a desire to “bind the nation together” has long been a financial burden, making full privatization nearly impossible.
Residents in remote areas of Wyoming often experience longer delivery times and fewer service options, making reliable delivery service from the USPS critical for everyday needs, as they are often the carrier of last resort.
All that is not to say though, that making the Post Office operate on time-tested business principles couldn’t make a huge difference.
Under outgoing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service has unfortunately disregarded many of these principles. It has been expanding rather than downsizing — hiring additional full-time, unionized staff, constructing massive processing centers, and pulling services in-house that private contractors previously handled more efficiently.
This strategy is counterproductive and has already led to mail processing delays in Wyoming, as mail is now rerouted to out-of-state facilities before reaching local communities.
The key to reducing USPS’s financial losses is not expansion but optimization—specifically, focusing on its core function while outsourcing non-essential operations.
So, what’s the best way forward?
The next Postmaster General should focus on restructuring the USPS into a leaner, more efficient operation. By implementing a hiring freeze, the USPS could save an estimated $12 billion.
By halting investment in DeJoy’s underperforming mega-processing centers, another $15 billion could be freed up to be used more effectively elsewhere. Shifting non-essential operations to private contractors, meanwhile, could result in additional savings.
That means outsourcing many of the functions that private companies have already demonstrated they can handle more effectively.
Mail presorting, transportation of mail and packages close to their final destinations, equipment maintenance, IT solutions, and payment processing are just a few areas where the private sector can bring cost savings and innovation. Allowing private industry to take over these tasks would free up the USPS to focus on its core competency: last-mile delivery to homes and businesses.
Even the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission, which oversees USPS pricing and performance, has reported that service levels continue to decline.
Costs are rising, delivery times are lagging, and customer satisfaction is dropping. Service to rural America is suffering the most and clearly endangered by the Delivering for American plan. Clearly, the current approach is not working.
The solution is not perpetual taxpayer-funded bailouts. Instead, the Postal Service should adopt a hybrid model that preserves its essential functions while allowing private industry to handle the rest.
This approach would create a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable postal system—one that meets the needs of the American people without sinking further into financial instability.
It is important to get this right, because in rural states like Wyoming, reliable postal service is not just a convenience, but a necessity. If real reform is to happen, it must be built around the realities of modern mail and package delivery.
The future of USPS should not be about politics — it should be about smart business decisions that ensure the institution’s long-term success.
George Landrith is the President of the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, a think-tank founded by the late Senator Malcolm Wallop, who represented Wyoming in Congress from 1977 to 1995.
