President Trump’s attempt to exert more control over the U.S. Postal Service has fueled concerns that those efforts could hurt the agency’s ability to reliably deliver mail to all corners of the country, a mandate that is core to its mission.
White House officials have said that Mr. Trump has no imminent plans to seize control of the Postal Service, which has operated as an independent agency for more than a half-century. But the president suggested on Friday that he would consider a major reorganization of the agency, which he has repeatedly criticized and tried to undermine for years.
Many see the effort as a way for the Trump administration to eventually try to privatize the Postal Service, which Mr. Trump previously said he was considering. That prospect has alarmed union officials, advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers, who say that selling off or contracting out major aspects of the service could threaten thousands of postal worker jobs or drive prices higher for customers. Opponents also say the effort would disproportionately affect rural communities, where it is less profitable for private companies to deliver mail.
“We believe it would result in a death spiral for whatever is left,” said Brian L. Renfroe, the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “People in rural areas would be particularly hard hit.”
A takeover of the Postal Service could also revive concerns about whether the president could exert control over the delivery of mail-in ballots during national elections. In 2020, when voting by mail spiked during the pandemic, Mr. Trump’s political adversaries accused him of purposely trying to manipulate delivery of ballots in Democratic areas.
Millions of Americans vote by mail, relying on the post office to deliver their ballots by the voting deadlines.