Trump orders creation of task force to examine the Postal Service's finances


On Thursday night, President Trump signed an executive order calling for an inspection of the United States Postal Service's pricing, policies, and workforce costs.
A task force, led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin or his designee, will review the U.S. Postal Service's business practices, Bloomberg reports. Over the last 10 years, with more customers paying their bills online and sending emails rather than letters, and with federally mandated pension payments, the Postal Service has reportedly lost more than $65 billion. "The USPS is on an unsustainable financial path and must be restructured to prevent a taxpayer-funded bailout," the order states.
Trump has tweeted he thinks Amazon is "costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their Delivery Boy," and claims "only fools, or worse" believe the U.S. Postal Service is making any money delivering packages for Amazon on Sundays. Trump has claimed that USPS loses "$1.50 on average for each package it delivers for Amazon," but the Postal Service is not allowed to charge shippers less than its delivery costs, and e-commerce-linked package delivery is actually a financial bright spot for the USPS.
Subscribe to 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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge orders Trump's NIH grant cuts reversed
Speed Read Trump had attempted to slash more than $1 billion in research grants
-
Trump leaves G7 early, warns Tehran to evacuate
Speed Read Trump claimed to have left the summit due to ongoing issues in the Middle East
-
June 17 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include a delay in the Artificial Intelligence invasion, 'No Kings' at the G7 Summit, and an 'arrest' of Gavin Newsom
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores