Privatizing the Post Office and unmaking America
Trump's attack on the Post Service is another disaster waiting to happen
This week, on the heels of current Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stepping down, Trump moved to fire the independent members of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. Accompanying this move was word that Trump was ready to move ahead with plans to privatize the USPS.
From a legal perspective, a President’s power over the USPS is quite limited. Legally a President can nominate members of the Board of Governors, who must be confirmed by the Senate. A President is empowered to remove a member of the board in the event of criminality or obvious conflicts of interest. Neither of those conditions have been met, or even hinted at, through this proposed power grab.
The USPS is one of the few government agencies that is explicitly called for in the Constitution. The modern post office was structured by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. That act states “the United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people,” and was required to “provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.”
There isn’t much wiggle room in that act to create any legal pathway for a president to arbitrarily change the leadership, structure or mission of the USPS. And there is certainly no legal justification for treating the post office like a stolen car, stashing it in a chop shop and selling off the parts to private businesses.
The post office is the lynchpin of the domestic parcel delivery business in the U.S. Private shippers rely on USPS to handle the “last mile” of package deliveries, particularly in rural areas.
Across the country, an estimated 20 percent of all Americans over 40 who are prescribed medication for a chronic condition get their prescriptions exclusively through USPS. In rural areas this percentage is even higher as many pharmacies in rural communities have shut down. Veterans, nearly one-quarter of whom live in rural communities, receive 80 percent of their prescriptions through the mail. The delays, disruptions, and price hikes from shuttering USPS would be devastating for these patients.
Rural voters – most of whom are Trump supporters – also benefit from vote by mail facilitated by USPS. Losing USPS to support vote by mail would force these rural voters, many of whom are elderly and without reliable transportation, to travel to polling locations to vote in person.
Rural small businesses also benefit greatly from access to the post office. By shipping through USPS rural businesses can reach customers outside their area, can source from suppliers who otherwise do not deliver to their area, and overall expand their business. The economic impact on rural areas would be immeasurable.
Once again, we are left reacting to a poorly thought-out plan. One that would benefit only the wealthiest, hurt almost everyone else, and is most likely illegal to boot. What else should we expect from a convicted felon who managed to run his businesses into bankruptcy six different times?
This is another fight worth having. Call your member of congress -especially if they are a Republican- today, tomorrow and every day. Go to their town halls. Go to their offices. Stand up and peacefully raise hell until they stand up to this lawless president and his attempts to unmake America.