Trump Moves to Gut the Post Office

[Hortensis]

34. Its deal with Amazon has actually helped keep the USPS afloat,

countering dark-money efforts to destroy it.

A little history of the USPS's recent battle history and why Trump's audit is going to disappoint him, and possibly backfire:

Trump is right that the Postal Service needs reform

... Congress, however, continued to wield authority over the Postal Service — and that's been the big problem. With the rise of the internet in the early 2000s, the use of first-class mail began to decline. One way the Postal Service hoped to save money was by ending Saturday delivery. Congress said no. At a time when it was losing billions in 2011 and 2012, it proposed closing rural post offices and moving mail delivery to local stores. Congress said no.

A few years ago, the Postal Service suggested offering banking services, especially to people of moderate means. Congress said no. It suggested a series of other proposals to move into other lines of business. This is something postal services in Europe have done with great success. Congress said no.

And one more thing: In 2006, Congress imposed an insane mandate on the Postal Service: It was required by law to prepay, over 10 years, all future expected retiree health care benefits. That has cost the Postal Service somewhere on the order of $50 billion. It also guaranteed that the Postal Service would lose billions.

Which it has. In 2006, the Postal Service had a $900 million surplus. Every year since, it has lost billions, including a staggering $15.9 billion in 2012. Last year, it lost $2.7 billion, an improvement from the $5.5 billion loss in 2016. And you wonder why the Postal Service is pleading for reform?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-postal-office-reform-amazon-jeff-bezos-0416-story.html