Cash-strapped US Postal Service suspends contributions to pension plan

> The service has reported net losses of $118 billion since 2007 as first-class mail I like how the article fails to mention that Republicans passed a law in 2006 that requires the USPS to fund 75 years of pensions. This crisis was manufactured by republicans to justify privitizing postal delivery.

"Cash-strapped"?? They are an important service provided by the US government. Is the US government truely "cash-strapped" at the moment?

Gotta stop the mail and keep people uninformed with no way to vote by mail. Sounds like a strategy from late 30’s early 40’s

They are not "cash strapped" and even if they were, the USPS is not around to make the government money. This is the dismantling of a federal device. It's an affront to the constitution

Adequately funded but constantly screwed over post office folds under constant financial sabotage by Republicans so they can further justify the destruction of our civil institutions.

Its the postal service. Not the postal company. They need to be funded. F*** republicans

Can't vote by mail if there's no mail. That's just science! /sad sarcasm

Isn't congress forcing them to prepay those pension plans the reason they are broke in the first place?

I do not think people realize the impact that the collapse of USPS will have on *everything*. Say goodbye to shipping anything for under $10. The cost of almost everything you buy online will rise—a lot, and fast. Mail order prescriptions will rise. Entire industries will go bankrupt within weeks. USPS is something you really don't think about. It just kind of works in the background. Even if you get most of your deliveries via FedEx or UPS, the reality is that USPS is the low-cost backbone. The rates that FedEx and UPS are able to offer are often blended rates that take into account the volume of last mile delivery costs that USPS absorbs. Maybe USPS never should have gotten into package delivery. Maybe you don't think the government should be subsidizing private e-commerce. That's fair. But the reality is that's the way it's been, and you reap the benefits of this without even noticing. If USPS goes under, there is going to be a real FAFO moment that people will have when the cost of shipping for everything rises dramatically. For perspective, in 2016 the cost to ship a 8 oz package across the country was $2.60. Today that cost is between $5.58 and $6.24. If USPS actually does run out of money, you can expect that cost to go up dramatically—probably double. Maybe more. Amazon Prime will not save you. The same item that was $14.49 with "free two-day shipping" will suddenly either be $24.99 or, more likely, will simply disappear because the company that made it went bankrupt do the instantaneous demand destruction. The collapse of USPS will *obliterate* small business. IMO, the collapse of USPS will have a larger effect on the average person in the US than 2000, 2008, COVID, or whatever the !@#$ is happening now. It will fundamentally reshape the country. Even if you can't remember the last time you sent a letter—or maybe you NEVER have—you rely on USPS *every day*.

And the military operates at a trillion lose each year let’s dismantle that also.

So the agency that physically delivers retirement checks is underfunding its own retirement? Cool cool. Maybe step one is Congress undoing that ridiculous pre-funding mandate instead of acting shocked every time USPS money problems hit the news.

USPS is a service, not a business. They are not "cash strapped", they are under-funded. Can you imagine the Navy being called "cash-strapped". Our news networks are spreading propaganda for this administration.

Easy, just take funds from DHS/ICE and use it for good instead of evil.

Thank your Republican friends and family members

The USPS is a government ***service,*** not a business. The only way for it to be "cash-strapped" is if the government refuses to fund it.

Hmmmmm…..a constitutional service that is funding not as a profit but just funded. Stop treating it like it’s a Corp.

It is not a business, it is a service. It is right there in the name. No one ever says, "Oh, the WAR DEPARTMENT is losing money" Time to defund it!"

cash-strapped = INTENTIONALLY UNDERFUNDED

[deleted]

But we can afford to bomb the shit out of Iran. This country is a f****** joke.

This has been carefully orchestrated by the GOP. NeverTrustARepublican

> The service has reported net losses of $118 billion since 2007 It's so dishonest to frame a constitutionally mandated service in these terms. We don't talk about the net losses of the US military, and the founders never even wanted that to exist as a permanent thing.

To everyone who comes across this comment, thank you. Sincerely, A proud USPS letter carrier.

Let’s collapse the post office just before the election; reads like a Trump plan.

Republicans are destroying our society.

Don't worry! The Free Market will solve this! Once the USPS has finally been buried, FedEx and UPS will be more than happy to clog their logistics networks with junk mail, credit card ads, and paper letters informing you that your paperless billing statement is now available.

It's a "SERVICE" right? Like the military is a service? Is the military expected to come out cash-positive at the end of the year?

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but the USPS should not be stressed to make a profit. It should be federally subsidized.

we can afford to bomb the shit out of random countries any day of the week though

It's a f****** national service it does not run out of money. Does the military or Congress pay run out of money? F****** no, so why would this? O that's right to f*** over the common people who use it. F*** the American government in its f****** face

Hell no, stop! The postal service isn't supposed to be profitable! It's a government service! STOP making it seem like it's cash-poor and needs to be sold to the highest bidder! It's not for sale!

It’s by design. Wait till the Administration privatizes USPS due to it being nonprofitable and no one is obligated to deliver ballots.

The wealthiest country in the world being unable to fund their federal government is a failure on leadership at the federal level, period. There is no excuse for this other than failures at every facet of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. This country has placed more value in accumulating individual wealth for a select-few over appropriately and adequately providing services for the public - the same public who's work ensures those select-few are even able to hoard what they have.

It's not cash strapped, it's underfunded by Congress.

"cash strapped" is a hell of a way to say "legislation requires USPS to suddenly fund pensions for 100 years". >The service has reported net losses of $118 billion since 2007 as first-class mail, its most profitable product, has fallen ​to its lowest volume since the late 1960s. The bill I mentioned passed in 2006. What a coincidence it aligns perfectly with the start of the reported net losses. [https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/](https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/) Manufacturing consent for the elimination of the post office because profits. Disgusting.

How much money does DHS have?

Boy that louis dejoy was sure a great pick to head the USPS. that government agency that's in the constitution.

A year and 4 months end Trump had abolished the department of education, destroyed TSA, and completely refunded the postal service. Not to mention threatening genocide in a war no one wanted.     What a great jobs he's doing.

No money for mail but money for war

Thanks, conservatives. Breaking a perfectly fine mailing system. 

I think he's going to shut the USPS down for the mail in ballots

So Republicans have finally, after damn near 50 years, managed to cripple and almost put in a coma, the US Post Office. Congratulations, if you supported Trump, Reagan, and the 2 different Bush administrations, then you supported what will become a less reliable, far more expensive, and absolutely ridiculous private sector mail service because that's what is going to happen and that's why Republicans have been trying to hamstring and defund the USPS all these decades.

Republicans have been trying to kill the USPS for decades, and somehow they’ve finally done it.

US going to be the only first world country that lets it's postal **service** collapse because they thought it should be run like a for profit business.

Their pension money was.shot into Iran

This f****** sucks, that they're actually getting close to succeeding at destroying the USPS. The alternatives already suck and will suck exponentially more once there's no alternative.

Trump was trying to destroy the Post Office in his first term. It’s why he put Dejoy in there. I’m assuming his business friends want out privatize so they can profit off of it.

All I can say is I'm glad I got out as a carrier assistant before losing my shoulders and knees only for this shit to happen. Mail service should be a no brainer job to be set for retirement with how important it is.

USPS like other public services are not meant to make money. You wouldn't complain about your Fire Department not making money.  The only reason for this issue is because their funding is being slashed to drive profits to private companies and make billionaires more money and less for workers.

Money for bullets and missiles but none for education and wages. Got it. This is winning, right? Hello?

I hope all these voter suppression tactics harm rural and poor/uneducated Republicans HARD

Failure by design. This was in the works even before Project 2025 hit the streets. F*** "Delivering for America" and double-F*** Lois DeJoy.

The Post Office was never NEVER intended to be a for-profit entity. It is a service for the American People.

It’s not cash strapped. It’s been purposely strangled by the Republican Congress going back to the 90s.

There's no such thing as a cash strapped gov agency that is written into the constitution. Postal service is guaranteed in our constitution. This clever ruse and lie that it can't function on its own merit is ridiculous. Even if it was needed, the gov can quite literally just print money to pay for it. What needs to stop is Congress using it as an atm machine for other things they otherwise can't find funding for. The USPS otherwise would run in the black just through their own operations. What Congress has done to the USPS in the last few decades is criminal.

They want to sell off the post office. The land is worth billions of dollars and they can sell it off for pennies on the dollar to their friends. Then Amazon swoops in and charges for mail service while also cutting off unprofitable areas of the country.