Washington, D.C. (February 22, 2025)—Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led Committee Democrats in sending a letter to President Trump demanding he immediately abandon any plans that would either dismantle or privatize the U.S. Postal Service or undermine its independence in any way.
“The Postal Service functions as an independent, self-sustaining agency that relies on its own revenues, not Congress, to fund the postal network. Your unprecedented and reckless plan to dismantle the Postal Service as an independent agency would directly undermine the affordability and reliability of the U.S. postal system. This short-sighted effort will do nothing to improve delivery performance or set the Postal Service on a path of fiscal sustainability. It could instead subject the Postal Service and the entire mail network to political interference, shifting priorities of Administrations, and skyrocketing prices,” wrote the Members. “Congress prescribed a clear and critical mandate for the Postal Service: to deliver efficient, reliable, and universal service to all Americans. Your reported plans for the Postal Service would put at risk the timely, affordable delivery of life-saving medications, mail-in ballots, important financial documents, and letters from loved ones, especially in rural or less-profitable areas that the private sector refuses to service.”
The letter follows reporting from the Washington Post that the Trump Administration is preparing a plan to fire the bipartisan Postal Board of Governors and absorb the Postal Service into the Department of Commerce, “potentially throwing the 250-year-old mail provider and trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions into turmoil.” The Members also cite subsequent reporting from CNN showing “the White House was silent on the question as to whether it is interested in privatizing the service, which is something that Trump has voiced support for in the past.”
While Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution vests Congress with exclusive power over “post Offices and post Roads,” the Postal Service’s independence is well-established in law. The Postal Service became an independent entity under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, and the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 established the Postal Regulatory Commission. The Members underscore that, “[a]ny effort to privatize the Postal Service or move it into an executive branch department requires explicit authorization from Congress, which Congress would not provide.”
“We urge you to immediately withdraw all plans to dismantle one of our nation’s most cherished public institutions and uphold the Postal Service’s independent status as required by law,” concluded the Members.
Click here to read the letter to President Trump