Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General in 1775, and his legacy survives in today’s USPS. Unfortunately, despite the storied past, USPS is in financial trouble. It has bled red ink from operation for a long time.
Congress postures, the Postal Service tries, and the taxpayer keep kicking in. Something needs to change. Perhaps this year things will change.
According to the New York Times, “Legislation to address the Postal Service’s dire finances has languished in Congress for years. But with enough Republican support to pass the Senate, the announcement of the bill, called the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021, is an unexpected indication of bipartisan compromise in a divided Congress. The legislation would eliminate the requirement that the agency pre-fund its health benefits for retirees under a 2006 law and would integrate its health care with Medicare, which the senators and the Postal Service both estimate could save the agency more than $40 billion over the next decade.”
For years, the USPS has been key link in our supply chain. This national capability is still at risk because of partisan positioning. The USPS should not be a political football.
Perhaps the politicians are starting to understand the cost of supply chain risk.
