Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is facing backlash over his newly announced plan to hike postcard and stamp prices as part of his proposed 10-year overhaul of mail operations, a strategy that critics warn will further damage the Postal Service.
Late last week, the USPS notified the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of its planned price increases, which are set to take effect in January. Under the new pricing proposal, which must be approved by the PRC, the cost of a stamp would rise 4.2% to 63 cents while the cost of a postcard would jump 9% to 48 cents.
The Postal Service cited the need to “offset the rise in inflation” in justifying the price hikes, but Government Executive‘s Eric Katz pointed out Tuesday that “DeJoy has previously suggested the increases would continue to allow the Postal Service to reach a financial break-even point.”
Why a federal agency would need to reach “break-even” is a question that observers have asked for months as DeJoy——a former logistics executive and Trump megadonor—has rushed ahead with pricing changes, job cuts, and postal facility closures in a purported attempt to make the public USPS “profitable.”
