ECONOMIC POLICY

USPS got billions in financial aid, and now says it needs more

Two years after a $107 billion financial lift, the Postal Service says it needs $14 billion in additional help

By Jacob Bogage
April 15, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Two years after Congress wiped more than $100 billion in obligations off the U.S. Postal Service’s books, the mail service and its allies are pressing for help again, warning the agency could face a financial crisis that affects home delivery without billions more.

Top Biden administration officials, including counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, have in recent months met with representatives of the mail service’s largest union. And members of the Domestic Policy Council have convened repeatedly with the Postal Service’s largest customers — including Amazon — about the agency’s persistent delivery struggles, leadership and balance-sheet woes, according to five people familiar with the meetings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of private conversations. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

The difficulties with delivery and financial troubles, some lawmakers and advocates worry, could disrupt mail-in balloting in November’s elections, along with other key functions the Postal Service performs every day.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and other top agency officials are set to appear before a Senate hearing on Tuesday about the chronic issues.

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By Jacob Bogage
Jacob Bogage covers economic policy in Congress for The Washington Post, where he's worked since 2015. He previously covered business and technology and wrote for the Sports section. Twitter https://twitter.com/jacobbogage