Summary
Donald Trump is considering privatizing the US Postal Service due to its financial losses, a move that could disrupt shipping and push hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of government.
Citing the USPS’s financial losses, Trump argued the agency should not rely on government subsidies.
While his specific privatization plans remain unclear, Trump previously clashed with the USPS during his first term, attempting to shift control of key functions like labor relations and rate-setting to the Treasury Department.
This move could significantly alter the structure and operations of the USPS if implemented.
It reminds me of how the right-wing politicians are trying to privatize Correios (the Brazilian Postal Service) here in Brazil. They alleged a similar thing: financial losses, inefficiency, and so on. While Correios doesn’t offer a really wonderful service, it’s really doubtable if a private company would improve it (spoiler: it won’t).
the conservative push to destroy this incredibly successful organization continues. its already been punished more than any other entity by requiring things no other business anywhere is required to.
starve the beast. theyve forced it to make financial considerations that now put it in pretend financial trouble so they can point at it as a failure.
if the USPS was allowed to run as any other business today it would be far more successful on paper than it already is, but conservatives just cant live with that.
Good thing the Democratic administration replaced DeJoy and passed some protections while they were in charge… oh. wait
There were empty seats on the board that would have tipped the balance, sitting vacant for the entirety of Biden’s term.
It was never intended to be. That’s why it has the word “service” right there in its name.
The USPS spent $89.5 billion in operations this year, which means that even if they didn’t collect a single dime from anybody they could serve everyone in the country with every package and letter that they already did in the entirety of 2024 for about 4.475% of the Defense Department’s expenditures in that same time frame – which are just under two trillion dollars.
The Defense Department as a whole Hoovers up about 24% the Federal budget.
Therefore the fact that the conservatives have successfully bamboozled everyone into believing that the USPS should be run as a “business” in the first place is incredible. Would you support about 0.1 percent of your Federal taxes spent on granting you free Postal Service access forever? I probably would.
For fuck’s sake, it’s not meant to make money, it’s a public service - it’s literally in the name!
I wish more countries governments would get their head out of their capitalistic arses and understand that the services they run aren’t meant to be profitable - that’s what taxes are meant to be for!
You’re going to have to get with the times. Everything has to make money or it’s scrapped including us.
I’m no economist but at some point doesn’t that fall apart? If everything needs to be generating then aren’t we creating a vacuum at the bottom or whatever? Money has to come in and go out equally in the end, no?
The postal service doesn’t lose money, it costs money.
By this logic, the interstate highway system and the military both lose billions! Is Trump going to privatize them too?
Thats not even a true statement.
The postal service makes money, but any surpless is automatically taken by Congress.
In the early 2000s the GOP passed a law requiring the postal service to upfront load the retirement funds of new employees, creating a massive debt burden.
Also, Congress has removed their ability to modernize equipment and fleets, forcing them to continue repairing aged equipment.
Not to mention, DeJoy, Trump’s installment during his first term, has done everything he can to dismantle any modernization because he wants the Post Office sold at rock bottom prices so he can buy it, get this, because he owns competing companies.
modernize equipment and fleets
They’re getting those new electric trucks though.
Which Trump is already talking about cancelling the contract for…
They were getting new electric fleets, the Umpa-lumpa in chief already said hes canx’ing that.
Further reading: https://www.nalc.org/news/the-postal-record/2022/may-2022/document/Postal-reform.pdf
I skipped to the part about 2003 - if my reading comprehension is right, USPS was in the black. When congress noticed, they made financial magic by using the pension funding mandate to help hide how bad the federal deficit had ballooned during that administration? This is such political theater.
Yeah, I consulted chatgpt for sources on the history behind why that 75-year funding requirement was enacted. The other link it gave me was this: https://www.epi.org/press/news_from_epi_retiree_health_pre-funding_is_primary_cause_of_usps_shor/
Was there a better reason Pension Funding was even brought up as an issue worth legislating for? Was there some scare trend of businesses scamming people out of their pensions? Source?
Don’t forget National and State parks - public lands in general. WhY ArEn’T tHeY tUrNiNg a PRooooFiT??
You’re right, and that one isn’t even hyperbole. They earnestly want to turn the parks into oil fields and cut down the forests.
Every thing the gop has done to the usps had hurt it more… but everytime I hear “it doesn’t make money” well it did before the absolutely idiotic idea to make sure pensions were super funded forward. Ontop of that. Why the fuck does a government organization need to make money? I hate this whole “run a country like a business” bullshit so much. Money makes everything worse.
The GOP exists to oppose anything that serves the common good. They exist to transfer public wealth to private interests. That is their entire mandate
Which is why they want to privatize everything… easier to grift from. I just find it hilarious that they take full power, fuck everything up, lose power and point to things saying “see it doesn’t work!” And their lapdogs just eat it up. Yes when you cripple something it will fail, and then you blame it or the dems and hey you get to do it again!
