Article Summary –
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced plans to further reduce costs at the U.S. Postal Service by eliminating 10,000 jobs, cutting employee pensions, and reviewing post office leases, in collaboration with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Critics, including the American Postal Workers Union and Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, argue that these measures could severely impact mail delivery, especially in rural areas, and undermine the agency’s independent function intended by Congress. DeJoy, a controversial figure due to previous service disruptions and his political connections, faces calls for dismissal as part of broader cost-cutting measures.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, leading the U.S. Postal Service, announced plans to work with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to eliminate 10,000 jobs, cut employee pension spending, and review over 30,000 postal retail center leases.
In a March 13 letter to Congress, DeJoy highlighted previous USPS spending cuts, including 30,000 fewer jobs since 2021 and a reduction of 50 million work hours. “Last night I signed an agreement with the General Services Administration and DOGE to help us find more efficiencies,” DeJoy wrote, mentioning plans for another 10,000 job cuts through a Voluntary Early Retirement program.
DeJoy’s earlier cuts have slowed delivery times and led to understaffing.
On March 17, he updated Congress on plans to “dramatically reduce costs and grow revenue,” asserting the DOGE/GSA team would tackle counterfeit postage and reduce spending on pensions and workers’ compensation. Noting that “approximately half of our current Post Offices fail to cover their cost of local operations,” he promised a review of “our leases on almost 31,000 retail centers.”
A 2021 NPR report mentioned that some rural post offices incur more costs than revenue but provide essential community services.
DeJoy, a political flashpoint since his 2020 appointment by the Trump-backed GOP majority on the U.S. Postal Service Board, eliminated jobs and slowed mail delivery during the pandemic. The Postal Service inspector general reported that his actions negatively impacted service quality.
The Postal Service did not provide a comment for this story.
The 10,000 job cuts occur as Trump’s administration seeks to cut hundreds of thousands of federal jobs and close agencies that conflict with its political agenda.
“It is no surprise DOGE targets the people’s Postal Service,” the American Postal Workers Union, representing over 200,000 postal workers, stated on March 14. “The APWU’s stance is clear: DOGE has no place in USPS or any Federal agency.”
Virginia Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly, of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, accused DeJoy of allowing DOGE to undermine USPS. “This will have catastrophic consequences for Americans reliant on USPS for mail, medications, and ballots,” Connolly said in a press release.
“A strong USPS with necessary staff is crucial,” Kevin Yoder, former Republican Congressman and current executive director of Keep US Posted, told Axios on March 17, adding that firing DeJoy is the “first and most important cost-cutting action.”
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