The United States Postal Service.

How it can truly deliver.

The United States Postal Service is one of the most derided institutions in the country. Also, it’s one of the most highly regarded according to every poll conducted on government agencies. This episode digs into our complicated relationship with the Postal Service and examines the historical challenges facing this institution. We cover the controversy surrounding Louis DeJoy, the current Postmaster General and his ten-year plan to modernize the agency. And we finish with a recommendation for how it should ultimately be run that honors its original mandate.

Read the full essay

Vintage 8 cent post office stamps; One is an illustration of a man buying stamps, the other is a mailman collecting the mail. Stamps are accompanied by text that says 'Nearly 27 billion U.S. stamps are sold yearly to carry your letters to every corner of the world' with the U.S. Mail seal and text that says, 'People Serving You.'

Show Notes

Clips

Episode Timestamp + Link | Clip Link

Resources

Pew Research Center: Public Holds Broadly Favorable Views of Many Federal Agencies, Including CDC and HHS
USPS: Postal Facts
Congress.gov: ArtI.S8.C7.1 Historical Background on Postal Power
Brookings: How is the U.S. Postal Service governed and funded?
The Guardian: There was only one loser in this Royal Mail privatisation: the taxpayer
Wikipedia: Bandwidth throttling
United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General: Postal Retirement Funds in Perspective: Historical Evolution and Ongoing Challenges
Congressional Research Service: FY2024 U.S. Postal Service Appropriations
Vox: Trump thinks Amazon’s destroying the post office. Here’s what’s really happening.
Katie Porter gets DeJoy to make embarrassing admission at USPS hearing
USPS: Delivering for America
The Guardian: ‘It’s going to delay the mail’: the fight over Louis DeJoy’s USPS plan
GovExec: Biden taps former cabinet secretary for USPS board
GovExec: Senators call on postal board to abandon DeJoy’s USPS reforms
Common Dreams: 'DeJoy Has to Go Right Now': Fury Over Postal Service Failure to Electrify Truck Fleet
Time: Louis DeJoy’s Surprising Second Act
CNN: Biden signs US Postal Service reform bill into law
Hey Arnold: I Hate The Snow

Image Sources

Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Designed by Edward Vebell., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Changes were made.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Designed by Edward Vebell., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Changes were made.