With email and digital communications eating into the Postal Service’s business model, Congress passed a landmark bill in 2006 that reshaped USPS for the 21st century. But more than 13 years later, after the 2008 recession and the boom in e-commerce, current and former lawmakers say it’s time to revisit postal reform.
And with the Postal Service on course to run out of cash by 2024, stakeholders say the status quo won’t be enough. But despite the urgency of the situation, members of Congress appear no closer to a compromise with the Trump administration on a postal reform solution.
Faced with the reality that postal reform legislation hasn’t gained momentum in Congress, USPS stakeholders have outlined what they can do without Congress to keep the country’s mail and package business afloat.
Former USPS Inspector General David Williams, currently one of two confirmed members on the USPS Board of Governors, said Postal Service remains at work on a long-term business plan aimed at turning annual net losses into profits over the next 10 years.
“We’ve tried to identify every possible lever we could pull to meet the challenges that present themselves each year,” Williams said at the recent PostalVision 2020 conference. “We are busy, and we can’t wait for the legislation, but there’s plenty to do until then.”
Those improvements include making the Postal Service more of a data-driven enterprise that can help USPS streamline its operations and simplify its pricing structure.