Tag: Trump Postmaster DeJoy

Critics: Postal Service plans imperil community newspapers

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The U.S. Postal Service’s plan to raise mailing rates could present one more damaging blow to community newspapers already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and advertising declines, a trade group says. 

Rates on periodicals would increase by more than 8% as of Aug. 29, according to agency filings. The price jump is part of a broad plan pushed by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to overhaul mail operations. 

The impact of the periodical rate increase is expected to be felt most by small daily and weekly newspapers, as well as rural newspapers, which depend on the Postal Service since they have shifted from using independent contractors for deliveries. Continue reading.

USPS chief DeJoy cuts post office hours, lengthens delivery times in new 10-year plan

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The postmaster general announces his long-awaited strategic initiative, one that diminishes delivery standards and raises prices

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Tuesday unveiled the largest rollback of consumer mail services in a generation, part of a 10-year plan that includes longer first-class delivery windows, reduced post office hours and higher postage prices.

DeJoy presented his long-awaited strategic vision for the U.S. Postal Service during a Tuesday webinar. Portions of the initiative already made public have raised alarms from postal advocates, who say they could further erode agency performance. Mailing industry officials warn that substantial service cuts could drive away business and worsen its already battered finances.

But DeJoy has cited the need for austerity to ensure more consistent delivery and rein in losses. The agency is weighed down by $188.4 billion in liabilities, and DeJoy told a House panel last month that he expects the Postal Service to lose $160 billion over the next 10 years. Without the plan, Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Ron Bloom said, the agency’s future was “profoundly threatened.” Continue reading.

House Oversight Committee demands release of $6B USPS vehicle contract

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The House Oversight and Reform Committee is demanding that the U.S. Postal Service release a contract with a private company for a new delivery vehicle fleet that is reportedly worth up to $6 billion. 

Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Friday voicing several concerns about potential interference and asking for documents relating to a contract with Oshkosh Defense. 

The Postal Service is contracted to purchase up to 165,000 new fuel-efficient or electric postal vehicles. Continue reading.

Biden inherited a USPS crisis. Here’s how Democrats want to fix it.

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The nation’s mail service is slower and more erratic than it’s been in generations, via the confluence of an abrupt reorganization and pandemic-era anomalies that has fueled demands for reform and fundamentally different ideas on how to achieve it.

On one side is Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who, with the backing of the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board, is expected as soon as next week to outline a new vision for the agency, one that includes more service cuts, higher and region-specific pricing, and lower delivery expectations.

But congressional Democrats are pressing President Biden to install new board members, creating a majority bloc that could oust DeJoy, a Trump loyalist whose aggressive cost-cutting over the summer has been singled out for much of the performance decline. The fight over the agency’s future is expected to be fraught and protracted, leaving Americans with unreliable mail delivery for the foreseeable future. Continue reading.