Bipartisan Senate group takes stand against Postal Service privatization

Six U.S. senators from both parties last week sponsored a resolution opposing any move to sell the U.S. Postal Service, or key parts of it, to private sector investors, something Trump administration officials have said they are contemplating.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., is leading the effort to preserve the Postal Service’s independence and service obligation to every address in America.

Standing alongside more than 100 rural letter carriers at a Capitol Hill rally earlier in the week, Peters said, “We can never let anyone privatize an essential service like the Postal Service.”

Unionized postal workers at the rally called on Congress to fight attempts to weaken or privatize the mail agency.

The bipartisan resolution is also endorsed by Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire; and Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina. 

A similar anti-privatization resolution in the House of Representatives has support from nearly 180 lawmakers from both parties.

The resolutions, which are messaging actions and carry no force of law, urge Congress to take all measures to ensure the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent arm of the federal government. 

The actions are in response to President Donald Trump’s statement last month that he is considering merging the Postal Service with the Department of Commerce. He and billionaire adviser Elon Musk in recent months have separately expressed interest in privatizing the Postal Service, suggesting such a move would improve service and the bottom line. The Washington Post last month reported that Trump aides are considering disbanding the Postal Service’s board of governors, which governs the agency’s strategic direction.

The Postal Service recently invited Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is dismantling and reshaping many agencies in an effort to downsize the size of government, to fix several structural issues weighing on finances and identify other savings opportunities.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy abruptly left office last week, prompting speculation that he was pushed out by Trump for sparring with the DOGE team over its level of power. The Washington Post on Sunday reported that administration officials are having second thoughts about privatization and may end up outsourcing more work to companies.

Postal unions and their supporters say privatization jeopardizes the concept of universal service because private companies are likely to cut service in rural areas where deliveries are uneconomical and focus on areas with denser populations.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

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