As a new leader takes the helm of the U.S. Postal Service, a House panel on Tuesday debated the future of the independent entity. While no member of Congress or expert witness offered a new comprehensive vision, there was near universal consensus on pausing and even reversing the recent reforms of former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
DeJoy’s 10-year plan to promote the financial sustainability of USPS, dubbed Delivering for America, started in 2021 and aimed at slowing some delivery but generate savings. Specifically, it required mail to sit overnight at post offices instead of being collected each evening to be transported to a processing center and sought to consolidate processing plants into 60 regional distribution centers.
Additionally, stamp prices have increased six times since the start of DeJoy’s tenure and that amount is set to rise again in July to 78 cents. These overhauls, however, did not generate revenue. USPS lost $9.5 billion in fiscal 2024 and experienced a net loss of $3.3 billion for the most recent quarter.
