In a bid to reform the struggling U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced plans to reduce the agency\u2019s workforce by 10,000 employees and slash billions of dollars from its operating budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reform plan will be carried out in partnership with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)<\/strong>, which will help streamline operations and identify efficiencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Financial Strain and Operational Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The USPS, which currently employs around 640,000 workers<\/a><\/strong>, has faced significant financial challenges in recent years. According to a letter sent to Congress, DeJoy\u2019s reforms aim to address what he described as \u201cbig problems\u201d at the $78 billion-a-year agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency has long struggled with mismanagement, including issues related to its retirement assets and workers\u2019 compensation program. With declining demand for first-class mail and the increasing cost of operations, the USPS has become financially strained, prompting the need for drastic changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership with DOGE will focus on identifying inefficiencies within USPS and recommending operational improvements. This effort also includes collaboration with the General Services Administration<\/strong><\/a>, which will assist in helping the Postal Service achieve further cost-saving measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeJoy emphasized that this initiative is aligned with ongoing efforts to reduce operating costs, which previously saw the agency cut $3.5 billion annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controversy Over Potential Privatization<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the USPS’s financial difficulties are well-documented, the plan to reduce its workforce by 10,000 employees <\/a>through a voluntary early retirement program has sparked strong criticism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Representative Gerald Connolly<\/strong> of Virginia, have raised concerns about the potential for privatization.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Connolly, the collaboration with DOGE could undermine the role of USPS as a public service, particularly affecting rural and remote areas that rely heavily on mail services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics argue that such a move would hurt those who depend on the Postal Service for critical deliveries, such as medications, ballots, and general correspondence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the union representing postal workers<\/strong>, the National Association of Letter Carriers, has voiced its opposition to any efforts to privatize the service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian L. Renfroe, president of the union, stated that while they are open to efforts addressing USPS\u2019s operational issues, they stand firmly against moves that would jeopardize the jobs of postal workers and compromise the universal service provided by the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USPS, which has operated as an independent entity since 1970, continues to face challenges in adapting to an increasingly digital world, with further efforts likely needed to balance its books without compromising service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The USPS is planning to cut 10,000 jobs in a major reform initiative that includes collaboration with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This move is part of efforts to streamline operations and address long-standing financial issues at the agency. However, critics are concerned that the cha<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":103126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103124"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103129,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103124\/revisions\/103129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}