The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States, including its insular areas and associated states. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution.
The USPS can trace its origin to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. The Post Office Department was created in 1792 with the passage of the Postal Service Act. It was elevated to a cabinet-level department in 1872 and was transformed by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 into the United States Postal Service as an independent agency. It operates entirely off revenues from mail and package delivery as well as the other services it offers. Since the early 1980s, many direct tax subsidies to the USPS have been reduced or eliminated.
According to Brian Naylor of NPR, “Numerous lawsuits were filed over the post office’s handling of mail-in ballots during November’s elections. Then came the holiday season, and customers became frustrated by backlogs that meant their Christmas cards and packages weren’t delivered until January.”
So what’s the deal? Two things. Both having to do with money.
Retirement benefits. Much of the financial difficulty of the USPS stems from one such federal benefit program called the “Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act,” which requires the postal service to pre-fund retiree health benefits far into the future. “It’s wild,” said Caitlin Cusimano, the President of Eugene’s Postal Workers Union. “So, in concept you’ve got people that haven’t even been born yet, that might someday work for the Postal Service, whose retirements are being paid for now. So that’s why we look like we’re in the red.”
Funding Cuts. There are a number of factors that impact the Postal Service’s ability to pay its own way. NBC News analyzed the situation and found that these factors include threats from competitors and customers like Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, billions of dollars in debt, costly pension and health benefits, and the shift toward digital communication and marketing. “Cuts to the postal service began quickly after President Trump appointed Louis DeJoy as the United States Postmaster General in June. After widespread public condemnation over these cuts affecting the November election, DeJoy said he would suspend further money-saving measures until after the election. Despite this, he has not reversed cuts that have greatly affected the efficiency of the service – such as banning overtime.” writes Nick Rosenberger for the Daily Emerald.
What were these money-saving measures? They include reductions in overtime and late trips as well as getting rid of high-speed mail sorting machines. Another issue is the loss of iconic mailboxes on the streets. According to USA Today, “On average, from 2010 through 2019, the Postal Service reports it removed 3,258 drop boxes a year.” Between September 2019 and August 2020, the Post Office removed more than 4,200 mailboxes. This makes it more difficult to send mail for many people, including seniors, those with disabilities, and people with limited transportation, particularly in rural areas. “The removing of mailboxes and sorting machines has a disproportionate impact on underserved communities, where the post office is really relied upon,” said Capri Cafaro, a former member of the Ohio Senate.
Public domain patent and Public domain photo by Petr Kratochvil
Why bring this up now? Well, there is a link to Black History Month. Did you know that Philip B. Downing successfully filed at least five patents with the United States Patent Office? Among his most significant inventions was a street letterbox. The very same letterboxes that Dejoy ordered removed in the months immediately before the election.
What can be done? Some wish to clean house at the highest levels of the agency. And by cleaning house, Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., says everyone — the six current members of the board of governors and the Postal Service’s top leadership, including Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — should be removed. The board oversees the Postal Service and appoints the postmaster general. The chair is currently Robert Duncan, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, who also sits on the boards of the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and American Crossroads, another GOP-aligned group.
There are other reasons for adding new members to the board — diversity, for one. “It’s all men,” says Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union . “We have no women on the board. We have no African Americans on the board.” Nor are there any members from rural America, which is heavily dependent on mail delivery.
Read more about this issue HERE and HERE and HERE.