Thursday, June 26, 2025

Stamped Out: How DeJoy and Trump Tried to Break the USPS—and What Comes Next

Trump in his first POTUS45 term, made bad decision for America to make Louis De Joy Postmaster General which I've long railed against. He's gone now. Resigned a few months ago, finally.

🚨 DOGE and White House Push Quiet USPS Overhaul 🚨

Internal documents reveal a series of behind-the-scenes meetings that could drastically reshape the U.S. Postal Service.

Since Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s resignation in March, the White House—through its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—has ramped up efforts to push major price hikes and structural changes at USPS. Treasury officials, White House attorneys, and Trump-aligned operatives are involved, raising red flags about attempts to treat the Postal Service like a for-profit business.

But USPS was never meant to be a business. It was created as a public service, grounded in the Constitution and championed by figures like Benjamin Franklin—to ensure universal, affordable communication for all Americans. Privatization risks abandoning rural communities, raising costs, and undermining a cornerstone of our democracy.

The original foundation for the U.S. Postal Service is found in Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution, which states:

"The Congress shall have Power… To establish Post Offices and post Roads;"

This clause gave Congress the authority to create and maintain a postal system as part of its role in uniting the states and promoting interstate communication and commerce. It was not framed as a profit-making venture, but as a core public function — vital infrastructure for a functioning republic.

To clarify...

The U.S. Postal Service is not a business. It is a constitutionally authorized public service, rooted in Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution:

“The Congress shall have Power to establish Post Offices and post Roads.”

That foundational mandate was later reaffirmed and expanded by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, which clearly states:

“The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.”

And further:

“It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.”

Nowhere is there a requirement to turn a profit. USPS is expected to be financially self-sustaining, but its core mission is service—universal, affordable, and accessible to all. It exists not to enrich shareholders, but to connect and serve the American people.

The Founding Fathers saw a national postal service as essential for:

  • Disseminating news and ideas

  • Connecting citizens across vast distances

  • Facilitating democratic participation (e.g., through mail-in voting, which was used as early as the Civil War)

Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General under the Continental Congress (1775), helped shape the service with the explicit goal of making it accessible, reliable, and public-serving, not commercially profitable.

Over time, this vision was formalized. For example, the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 created the modern USPS as an independent agency, instructing it to be self-sustaining but still carry out its universal service obligation — again reaffirming that its purpose is service, not profit.

While DeJoy implemented some structural reforms, the damage to USPS operations and public trust far outweighed any gains. His ties to private logistics firms that benefited during his tenure only deepen the ethical concerns.

Bottom line: USPS exists to serve the public—not to enrich private interests.

  • Personal wealth increased about $20M–$30M while serving as Postmaster General.
  • His annual compensation more than doubled compared to his base pay, including generous bonuses—even during times USPS performance was widely criticized.
  • When combined with ongoing investments and potential gains from logistics contractors, the financial surge suggests that his term benefited him personally in a way that merits scrutiny.

Louis DeJoy’s tenure at USPS reflects a broader pattern under Donald Trump: using government power to serve private interests and undermine public institutions. While DeJoy’s personal wealth grew by an estimated $20–30 million, the Postal Service—vital to American democracy—was hollowed out through service cuts, price hikes, and political manipulation. 

Like so many Trump-era appointees, DeJoy advanced an agenda that prioritized profit and loyalty over public good. Under Trump’s watch, even the mail became a battleground in the effort to weaken trust in government and tilt the system away from the people it was built to serve.

Pay attention—this is how democracies die: not with a sudden collapse, but through calculated provocations like DeJoy’s, where public trust is eroded, institutions are repurposed for private gain, and the machinery of government is quietly turned against the people it was meant to serve.

Pay attention—this is how democracies die: not in one blow, but one provocation at a time. DeJoy hollowed out the Postal Service. Betsy DeVos attacked public education. Scott Pruitt sabotaged environmental protections. Michael Flynn undermined national security. And now, with Trump poised as POTUS 47, the same corrupt playbook returns—only this time, the guardrails are weaker, and the intentions even clearer.

As of now, Doug Tulino is serving as Acting Postmaster General following DeJoy’s departure in March 2025.


🛠️ Who’s in Charge & What’s Being Done

1. Acting Leadership

  • Doug Tulino, a long-time USPS executive, stepped in right after DeJoy resigned. He’s focused on restoring normal operations while awaiting the permanent replacement .

2. Incoming PMG: David Steiner...more of the same?

  • David Steiner, a FedEx board member and former Waste Management CEO, is set to become the 76th Postmaster General in July 2025. He'll resign from FedEx ahead of assuming the role 

  • His appointment has drawn fire from postal unions, who worry that his corporate ties and Trump-era support signal a shift toward privatization and cost-cutting at the expense of public service 

3. Steps to Repair Damage

  • Congressional oversight: A House hearing convened shortly before Steiner’s arrival to examine DeJoy’s policies and to push for restoring service reliability and public accountability 

  • Strategic framing: The new leadership is emphasizing the USPS mission to serve all Americans. Steiner has publicly pledged to uphold USPS’s constitutional mandate and enhance financial sustainability — though details on operational reforms are still being solidified 

  • Keeping an eye on privatization: Unions and lawmakers are monitoring Steiner’s every move, urging transparency and safeguarding against outsourcing, job cuts, or a shift toward corporate 


🔎 In Summary:

  • Short-term fix: Tulino has reinstated operational continuity.

  • Long-term plan: Steiner's leadership is framed as a “business-savvy” turnaround, though critics fear it could deepen DeJoy-era harms under a new guise.

  • Oversight matters more than ever: Congressional hearings and union pressure aim to shield USPS’s public mission amid concerns over privatization and undermining trust.

As DeJoy exits, USPS enters a precarious transition. Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino has stabilized day-to-day operations, but all eyes are now on incoming Postmaster General David Steiner—a FedEx board member with deep corporate ties and Trump-era backing. While he pledges to preserve USPS’s public mission, his background raises alarm bells for unions and watchdogs who fear more privatization under the guise of reform. 

The fight to restore trust, protect universal service, and undo the damage is far from over—and with Steiner’s tenure beginning in July, the next chapter of the Postal Service will determine whether it serves the public good or corporate profit.

As DeJoy thankfully finally exits, USPS stands at a critical crossroads—one shaped by years of damage under Donald Trump’s influence. Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino has provided temporary stability, but incoming Postmaster General David Steiner, a FedEx board member with corporate and Trump-aligned ties, signals continued risk. 

Since taking charge in March, Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino has unfortunately continued several concerning trends from the DeJoy era—raising alarms that the same damaging playbook is being replayed.


⚠️ What Tulino Has Done So Far:

  1. Continuation of Rate Hike Strategy
    In April, Tulino participated in high-level meetings—including with DOGE team members Fiona Machado and Luke Grossman—to discuss an exigent price increase, a tool typically reserved for emergencies unseen since 2013 theweek.com+15govexec.com+15supplychaindive.com+15. That appears to signal a willingness to continue or even escalate DeJoy-era pricing practices.

  2. Ongoing Collaboration with DOGE
    The very day he took office, Tulino met with DOGE to discuss ethics and begin rolling out their influence across USPS operations en.wikipedia.org+12govexec.com+12time.com+12. This sets the stage for continued cost-cutting and structural reforms—though often at the expense of public service reliability.


✅ What We Haven’t Seen (Yet):

  • No reversal of service slowdowns or mail-sorting cuts that characterized the DeJoy era.

  • No halt to discussions on privatization or workforce downsizing.

  • No strong union-backed measures to restore universal service reliability.


🔎 Bottom Line:

Tulino has stabilized leadership but hasn’t yet stepped away from DeJoy's model of aggressively pursuing revenue and restructuring—often in collaboration with DOGE. The conversations around price increases and structural reforms echo the previous administration's priorities, meaning that real course correction is still pending.

Trump’s two terms have chipped away at public institutions like the Postal Service—undermining their trust, warping their purpose, and steering them toward privatization and profit-driven agendas. His vision isn’t about serving Americans—it’s about control, loyalty, and dismantling government protections from within. But with growing public awareness and pushback, there’s hope. 

It is hoped that we can not only undo the damage, but finally rid America of Trump’s autocratic nonsense and restore institutions like USPS to their rightful role: serving the people, not the powerful.

One final threat in another albeit similar direction...

How to Survive the Broligarchy - The Trump-Musk crackdown is coming. Here's 20 lessons in how to survive it. - Carole Cadwalladr

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

No comments:

Post a Comment