Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday a sweeping reform plan aimed at making the struggling U.S. Postal Service more modern and competitive.
What We Know:
- Titled “Delivering for America,” DeJoy’s plan will reduce post office hours and include higher postage rates. “The need for the U.S. Postal Service to transform to meet the needs of our customers is long overdue,” said Dejoy. According to NBC, he added that the Postal Service could lose $160 billion in the next decade without serious changes.
- Included in the plan will be the slowing of First-Class mail and packages from three-day delivery times to five. The service will also move away from delivery by air to “more reliable” ground delivery systems. Local First-Class mail will still be delivered within two days, and 70% of all mail will continue to be delivered in three.
- However, the plan also provides millions for infrastructure upgrades and new technology improvements–specifically, a new fleet of energy-friendly vehicles. The Postmaster General told reporters that “the need to ensure reliable service, while improving operational efficiency and precision, requires that these standards be updated.”
- DeJoy has faced much criticism over his support, politically and financially, of Donald Trump. Democrats have opposed his past changes to the USPS; DeJoy was accused of sabotaging the 2020 election by slowing the speed at which mail-in ballots could be processed. Rep. Gerry Connolly opposed DeJoy’s new initiative, stating it “guarantees the death spiral of the United States Postal Service.”
President Biden has nominated three new members for the USPS board of governors, but the service will begin implementing the new measures without waiting for their confirmation.
