Trump reportedly wants to take over US Postal Service
President Trump is making plans to disband the leadership of USPS and absorb the agency into his administration


What happened
President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at taking control of the U.S. Postal Service and folding the independent mail agency into the Commerce Department, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal said Thursday. Doing so without approval from Congress "would probably violate federal law," the Post said.
Who said what
Trump's takeover would start with the firing of Postal Service's Senate-confirmed governing board, the Post said, then placing "the 250-year-old mail provider and trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions" under the direct control of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who has urged Trump to privatize the quasigovernmental agency. Privatizing the USPS was something Trump "frequently pushed for during his first term," the Journal said, though his attempts "failed to gain support in Congress."
Trump has already claimed broad powers over government institutions, unilaterally decommissioning the U.S. Agency for International Development, putting himself in charge of the Kennedy Center and firing the leadership of several independent agencies. An executive order he signed Tuesday instructed independent regulatory agencies to align their policies more closely with the White House.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Postal Service "by law is generally exempt from executive orders," the Post said. Americans also "consistently rank" it "among their most-beloved government agencies, second only to the National Park Service." The USPS is "wildly popular with the American people, and its service is essential and irreplaceable," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.). "Nobody voted for this. It is brazenly illegal, unconstitutional and corrupt."
What next?
A White House spokesperson late Thursday denied that Trump was planning such an executive order. Nevertheless, the USPS governing board is "planning to fight Trump's order," the Post said. In an emergency meeting Thursday, the board "retained outside counsel and gave instructions to sue the White House" if Trump were to remove board members or "attempt to alter the agency's independent status."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 tinfoil-covered cartoons about Tylenol and autism
Cartoons Artists take on the toys in RFK Jr's attic, the war on autism, and more
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide cybercrime crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
How to ditch ‘buy now, pay later’ debt
the explainer Recent changes mean BNPL will soon affect your credit score
-
Why Trump is so focused on getting a Nobel Peace Prize
The Explainer A recent poll found that three-quarters of Americans say Trump doesn’t deserve the award
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies
-
Trump’s plan for a government shutdown: mass firings
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As lawmakers scramble to avoid a shutdown, the White House is making plans for widespread layoffs that could lead to a permanent federal downsizing
-
Gunman kills 1 detainee, wounds 2 at ICE facility
Speed Read A sniper shot three detainees at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office before fatally shooting himself
-
Trump DOJ reportedly rushing to indict Comey
Speed Read Former FBI Director James Comey oversaw the initial 2016 investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia
-
‘ExxonMobil made the right call’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day