Postal Service considering slower delivery to rural areas, Postmaster General says

(NewsNation) — The U.S. Postal Service is considering swapping some resources that would speed up delivery times for most of its customers, but it would come at the expense of those who live in rural and far-flung locations, according to a report in The Washington Post.

“We’re trying to save the Postal Service — not figuratively, not to advocate for something. We’re trying to literally save the Postal Service,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told the Post.

The plan is part of a larger proposal that hopes to save about $3 billion a year. It involves letting some mail and packages sit in some post offices and distribution hubs for an extra day instead of processing them immediately. That would allow USPS to devote more energy to serving the vast majority of customers who live within 50 miles of a mail processing center. 

USPS says the shift would delay some deliveries by as much as a day but still achieve the goal of delivering everything in five days or fewer from coast to coast.

Already, the idea is inspiring opposition.

“This is the second time Postmaster General DeJoy has proposed lower service standards. He might as well announce a return to delivering mail by horse and buggy,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., in a statement.

USPS has filed plans to hold public hearings on the proposal, and DeJoy has said there would be no change until after Election Day. DeJoy came under intense criticism four years ago when some of his cost-cutting measures slowed mail delivery around the 2020 election.

Despite delivery changes and raising its prices, USPS remains in a huge financial canyon. It’s on pace to lose more than $7 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, after losing $6.5 billion in fiscal 2023.