USPS could slow service in certain areas as it seeks to cut costs

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering cost-cutting measures that could lead to delays in long-distance and rural mail delivery.

If the proposed changes go into effect, which wouldn’t take effect until after the November election, customers within 50 miles of the Postal Service’s largest processing facilities would get faster delivery service, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said. He told The Washington Post. These customers account for the majority of mail and packages, he said.

But more rural areas could see an extra day added to the current delivery schedule, the Post reported.

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DeJoy said the roughly 12-hour delay in delivery of certain mail was “the price we must pay” for the department having become “ignored.”

“Looking around other countries, [delivery] “The post office is going to be much longer and much more expensive. We’re trying to save the post office. Not figuratively, not making a point or anything. We’re literally trying to save the post office,” DeJoy told The Post in an interview.

FOX Business has reached out to USPS for comment.

The post office fights crimes such as mail theft and mail fraud.

The changes will save the Postal Service about $30 billion over the next decade.

A package is sent through a new package sorting machine at a mail processing facility in Tampa. (Fox News/Fox News)

However, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), USPS revenues have not been able to cover expenses and liabilities for more than 15 years. According to the GAO, expenses have exceeded revenues due to a continuous decline in the volume of first-class mail, its most profitable product. To cover expenses, the USPS has increased its liabilities and unfunded liabilities.

USPS said in a statement Thursday that the changes are “consistent with the organization’s mission to be financially self-sufficient,” meaning the agency will be able to cover its expenses through the sale of products and services.

USPS said the proposed changes would “maintain existing one-to-five day service standards for first-class mail and be designed to take full advantage of the Postal Service’s updating and developing ground network.”

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The USPS also said it would hold public hearings to hear comments on these changes. If implemented, the changes wouldn’t take effect until next year.

A United States Postal Service (USPS) worker delivers a package on Cyber ​​Monday in San Francisco, California, USA, Monday, November 27, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)

“As such, these proposed changes will not affect election mail for the next election or preparations for the 2024 peak season,” USPS said.

The Postal Service said it would implement “extraordinary measures beyond normal operations ahead of Election Day across the country.”