Trump says he will block coronavirus aid for US Postal Service if it doesn't hike prices immediately

[milestogo]

Source: Washington Post

President Trump on Friday said he would not be approving an emergency loan for the U.S. Postal Service if it did not immediately raise its prices for package delivery, confirming a recent Washington Post article that said he planned to exert more control over the agency. “The Post Office is a joke," Trump told reporters. "The Post Office should raise the price [of package delivery] four times.”

Trump recently signed a law that allowed the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service to borrow $10 billion from the Treasury Department. The Post has reported that the White House wants to force changes at USPS as part of the terms of the loan. Trump confirmed on Friday that one of those new conditions is a requirement that the Postal Service raise prices.

“If they don’t raise the price, I’m not signing anything.” He said that he won’t allow Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to approve the loan if prices aren’t raised.

Trump has railed for years against what he seems as mismanagement at the Postal Service, which has been battered by a decline in first-class mail in the Internet age – but which has found profitability with package delivery. The agency’s revenues have plunged about 30 percent during the pandemic, though, as business mail has declined.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/04/24/trump-postal-service-loan-treasury/

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[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Not only blocking Vote By Mail, but attacking Jeff Bezos, who is a REAL billionaire (tho ratty too).

[AtheistCrusader]

39. Package shipping isn't used for mail in voting.

Ultimately this would starve the USPS more, but the actual capacity to deliver monopoly mail/first class mail would not change, first class stamps wouldn't change, etc.

I don't think this would hurt Bezos much either, but trump is not a smart man, so that might very well be his INTENT.

[Bengus81]

47. Might not hurt Bezo's immediately but it would kill Amazon's third party sellers.........

Those rates are paid by them,not Amazon. Fulfilled by Amazon merely means a third party has shipped their stuff to Amazon warehouses to be held (for a fee) and then shipped out by Amazon.

When the CV hit, Amazon asked those sellers to stop sending stuff and ship it directly themselves. If USPS would jack their rates so would UPS and Fed Ex just to get richer, more so with fuel prices at rock bottom.

So lets review,USPS could just go out of business killing off their Union--first PLUS for Trump
It could hammer Amazon by killing off half of their sellers and less money for Bezo's who Trump hates---second PLUS for Trump
It would also be another dig at Bezo's who owns the Washington Post---third PLUS for Trump

But Trump claims he only wants the USPS make more profit and not need help---100% total BULLSHIT

[AtheistCrusader]

49. I think that first item is the primary intent.

They want the USPS dead. They want Amtrak dead. They want the Department of Education dead.

They've got a hit list, and today is USPS's turn in the barrel.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Call his bluff. . . . nt

[Champion Jack]

50. exactly

Tell him you'll gladly raise the rates, get the funding, don't raise the rates tell the Orange Anal Fissure to go fuck himself.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

53. Well, ... tell him USPS is independent but needs rescue ASAP. Fund them, but let USPS set own rates.

[Happyhippychick]

3. Can we please make this concept viral to save the Post office? Buy 20 postcards, write "you're

fired" or whatever else and send to White House.

[leftieNanner]

10. They come in packs of 10

$3.90 per pack. Let's inundate the White House mail room with cards! You don't want to send letters because they are held up for inspection (remember the anthrax scare).

https://store.usps.com/store/product/cards-envelopes/azulillo-stamped-card-S_250004

My message will be:

YOU ARE THE WORST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY. RESIGN!!

What do you think DU? Can we do this?

[Happyhippychick]

59. Love it!

[notdarkyet]

15. Call ,Congress.

[Happyhippychick]

60. That does nothing to help the Post office

[duforsure]

4. If Republican do not reject this from him

They'll be done , and lose all control in Congress and at the White House. 90% of the American people support the USPS.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. He's trying to crush Amazon because he hates Jeff Bezos

on account of the Washington Post. Of course, if USPS raises prices those increases will be passed along to the consumer (us).

[notdarkyet]

20. Plus he's jealous he never had a successful business. Not enough bad words can cover

What he’s done.

[notinkansas]

63. He may very well hate Bezos, but the real reason

the Post Office has been such a target for so many years is because repubs have been drooling over the prospect of privatizing it. Another opportunity for money making for them. Plus the bonus of getting rid of the postal workers union. The draconian pension funding requirement they imposed on the Post Office - prefunding pensions for workers not even born yet - should have outraged everyone enough to get them to back off.

This can't stand!

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Says the owner of dozens of failed businesses, and even now as...

his golf clubs are sinking faster than the Titanic.

Share with us your wisdom, oh Great Trump.

[SoCalNative]

7. I don't think he can demand rate increases be enacted immediately

since congress has oversight and must approve postage rate increases.

Nice try though, asshole

[Thekaspervote]

8. This! Another stupid bluster that will go away. He can't even remember what day it is

[scarletwoman]

42. Sorry, no. Congress does not have oversight, other than the Senate confirming

Postal Regulatory Authority Commissioners.

Please see my post #38, below: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2478768

[klook]

9. The Postal Regulatory Commission sets postal rates and already increased them in January.

As usual, Trump wants a government where things can be changed on a dime at his whim. Sorry, we don't live in a dictatorship -- not quite yet.

[Duncan Grant]

11. His (mob) roots are showing.

I want you to do me a little favor. Raise your rate 4x. You don’t need to know why. Just do it.

[milestogo]

12. And if they raise the rates, people will use them less and it will hurt them more.

What a petty, vindictive, stupid little man.

[CaptYossarian]

33. That's Plan A.

Which leads to his ultimate goal: Busting the Postal Union.

The Repubs hate people, yet people still vote for these rodents.

[Girard442]

13. Imagine being a pizza place and Fat Donnie says you gotta charge 4X for your pies.

Fat Donnie knows damn well you will sell no pizzas and you're screwed. He's just looking to buy your restaurant for a couple of pennies on the dollar.

[marble falls]

14. Hike the price of bulk mailings, stop subsiding bisinesses.

[PSPS]

40. It's the other way around. Bulk mail subsidizes first-class mail

[BeyondGeography]

16. So let's create a shopping virus that hit everyone just like COVID

Brilliant.

People (that includes you, MAGATs) are using Amazon for basics right now because they don't have an alternative. But Caligula sees an opportunity to stick it to someone who's worth a thousand times more than him so tough darts on all you consumers, about half of whom have been touched by either job or income loss.

[unblock]

17. USPS operates at a profit at current rates

The only reason for financial challenges is that republicans forced them to start pre-funding future health care costs, which other agencies aren't required to do.

As usual, republicans create an artificial crisis, then blame others for their own messes.

[c-rational]

54. +1

[Iwasthere]

18. Raise the prices

Then turn around and lower them, reimbursing those that paid high prices. It's what he would do. Fucker.

[noneof_theabove]

19. Brain dead idiot

forgot that USPS is NOT under his control, the are a just a business.

"...will not give you relief money unless you up the shipping prices...." [paraphrase]

Quid Pro Quo

or better just plain extortion, and that is illegal.

[RussBLib]

21. oh, praise he of the awesome judgment

from Mr Bankruptcy himself. EVERY SINGLE THING HE DOES IS SUSPECT.

another snip from the story:

Trump and his allies have frequently claimed that higher package rates on Internet shipping companies — Amazon, in particular — could ease the Postal Service’s financial troubles. But higher package rates could hurt the agency by artificially raising its prices above those of United Parcel Service and FedEx, analysts say. Higher prices also could impact Amazon, which acts as both retailer and shipper, by forcing it pass off higher costs on its customers to compete.

The Postal Service repeatedly has defended its arrangement with the e-commerce giant, saying it gets fair rates for the services it provides in a highly competitive environment.

[bucolic_frolic]

24. Big shippers get discount because they sort, label, deliver en masse

thus reducing the labor and sorting the USPS must put into it.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. Trump 'owns' the Postal Commission, most are (R) appointed by Trump

By law the USPS isn't supposed to operate at a profit.

You want to see reduced USPS volume? Raise prices 4 times. Or even 35%.

[scarletwoman]

38. Not quite, it appears that only 2 of the five were appointed by Trump:

https://www.prc.gov/about

About the Postal Regulatory Commission

The Commission is an independent agency that has exercised regulatory oversight over the Postal Service since its creation by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, with expanded responsibilities under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. The Commission is composed of five Commissioners, each of whom is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of six years. A Commissioner may continue to serve after the expiration of his or her term until a successor is confirmed, except that a Commissioner may not continue to serve for more than 1 year after the date on which his or her term would have otherwise expired. Not more than 3 of the Commissioners may be adherents of the same political party.

Current Commissioners ~~~~~~ Term Expiration Date

Chairman Robert G. Taub (R) ~~~~~~~~~~~ Oct. 14, 2022
Vice Chairman Michael M. Kubayanda (D) ~~~~ Nov. 22, 2020
Commissioner Mark Acton (R) ~~~~~~~~~~~ Oct. 14, 2022
Commissioner Ann C. Fisher (R) ~~~~~~~~~~ Oct. 14, 2024
Commissioner Ashley E. Poling (D) ~~~~~~~~ Nov. 22, 2024

[bucolic_frolic]

41. I'm sure I saw an 11 member panel last week, it had photos of all of them

Perhaps it was one of the advisory - legal, counsel, public affairs, inspectors - committees. But I sure can't find the link today.

[scarletwoman]

45. Well, 11 would be the number altogether of the 6-member Commission, plus the 5 other "Offices"

https://www.prc.gov/about

Accountability and Compliance
General Counsel
Public Affairs and Government Relations
Secretary
Inspector General

[bucolic_frolic]

52. THere you go

it had pics and the political affiliation of each, most were Republican. That's what I get for reading lightly

[pwb]

23. This is good. Americans love their Mail.

It is the highlight of many seniors day to get the mail. This is a fight that helps democrats. The postal service will be alright til November and then we will make them right financially and better.

[maxsolomon]

25. The line in the sand.

No fucking way. 4X jump in rates will mean NO ONE BUYS ANYTHING.

Whey fuck does he even care? It's not like he's bought anything online in his entire life.

Meredith McIver does all his purchasing.

[patphil]

26. Trump has wanted to kill the Post Office for quite some time.

But this year it's even more important for him since there will be al lot more mail in ballots this fall. If he can push the USPS into bankruptcy, then those ballots won't be delivered.

I think he wants to make voting a life or death experience for people so he can claim it's too dangerous to vote and delay the election...as if he could, since voting is controlled by the states.

But that won't stop him from trying.

[scarletwoman]

46. It's not just trump. Repugs have wanted for years to kill the USPS and privatize it.

For one thing, it would kill off another pesky Labor Union.

[Bleacher Creature]

27. Who does he think pays those prices?

I'm not sure raising prices on consumers in the middle of a crisis is a good idea. And he's an idiot if he doesn't think Amazon will just raise the price of Prime, as opposed to eating those costs.

[Botany]

28. Time to go and buy some stamps

Fuck Trump

[Historic NY]

29. Quadruple no one would be able to send anything

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

30. He must be sniffing his own farts

Only the most hardcore Trumper is okay with paying higher rates.

[AllaN01Bear]

31. these so and sos have been ineffectual for the last 30 or more years .

they cant govern , so they continually pick on either amtrak or the post office .

[0rganism]

32. seems like a ridiculous ultimatum, but this might actually be a sign of hope for the USPS

more than anything, Trump wants to be taken seriously as a deal-maker in a spectacular way -- here's a prime opportunity
however, as such, his initial position should not be taken seriously. it's a trailhead, not the destination.

immediately quadruple the price? nope. that's obviously insane, but it's also quite likely that prices need to go up this year anyway, so try to bundle that in.

someone needs to make him a counteroffer -- maybe a 25% rate increase phased in over 6 months. then go back and forth for a while, eventually USPS agrees to raise rates by 80% over 4 weeks and Trump gets to brag that he saved the post office from the plague with the most epic phenomenal deal ever seen by mortals.

[Traildogbob]

35. Pissing on his base

See a pattern with this sick freak. Liked peeing on shit. Let USPS go broke. Millions of employees, many vets, and many older retirees, let states go bankrupt, current and retired police, county and state, firefighters both wild land and residential, teachers, DOT, social workers, School workers, garbage workers, recycling centers and landfills, prisons, I can go on. All these people are lower and Middle class. All of these are current workers and retirees. Probably as high as 70 percent Republican older Fox Cultist. All these people pay federal and state taxes. That is a lot of votes repigs. Many many State elected retirees will lose pensions. But bailout cruise lines trump properties and CEO’s that pay no taxes. What could go wrong?

[TeamPooka]

36. Thanks for the campaign ad Donny "Trump raised your mailing rates during a pandemic, just when you

needed delivery most."

[LudwigPastorius]

37. Another, empty "if you don't do X, I'm gonna Y" threat from the orange fistula.

Bite me, you delusional scumbag. You're going to need the Post Office to deliver your bronzer when you're in prison.

[sinkingfeeling]

43. I have a bucket of tar and some feather pillows. Want to meet me in DC?

[world wide wally]

44. He's moonlighting for his donors at Fedex

[turbinetree]

48. Try it psychopath..............and you signed the legislation..............

you have no fucking clue what your doing..................

[Bengus81]

51. Does Trump think all USPS "packages" are in a GD box??

Tell that jackass to look up something called First Class Package rates. Even the smallest bubble mailer or rigid mailer is considered a package or does Trump think you slap one stamp on it and throw it in the mail like a regular envelope? This hike of his could jack the shipping price to $13.00 for something very small and very light (weighing 1-4 oz) going across Country.

Something heavy and a much larger box like a computer could easily hit $200 in shipping. In Trumps hatred for the USPS and Bezo's he could kill off Ebay and the half of Amazon that are third party sellers.

That FUCK just wrote yet another political ad for Biden..........

[Pepsidog]

55. Ok Dems, this is easy, let Trump close USPS and see how well that goes over.

[warmfeet]

56. What an evil fucker the orange asshole is.

[jeffreyi]

57. Idiot.

I occasionally sell items online. Last thing I sold, 2 day shipping via post office was $22. So shipping should be $88.00? That's more than the item sold for. Festering Buttwarble needs to snort some bleach and clean out the cobwebs.

[They_Live]

58. "I need you to do me a favor, though..."

Same ol' schtick.

[raccoon]

61. " Nice Postal Service you got here. Be a shame if something were to happen to it." Nt

[we can do it]

62. Over ride his bitchass veto.