US President Donald Trump has suggested Washington's trading partners avoid being taxed by investing in American factories
Donald Trump is reportedly expected to take over the USPS through an executive order that could be signed as early as this week. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Trump reportedly wants to dissolve the USPS governing board and place the agency under the Commerce Department
  • The report came two days after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told the board he will step down from leadership
  • 'Any attack on the Postal Service would be part of the billionaire oligarch coup': APWU President

U.S. President Donald Trump could sign an executive order as soon as this week that will dissolve the Postal Board of Governors and allow him to take over the U.S. Postal Service, and a postal workers union isn't taking the news all too well.

Trump is planning to absorb the USPS into the White House and fire the postal board, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing six people familiar with the plans. Such a move can potentially result in turmoil for trillions worth of e-commerce transactions, as per the report.

USPS Postmaster to Resign

News of Trump's supposed plans to get rid of the postal board came two days after the USPS announced that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will step down from his leadership role in the agency.

DeJoy led the agency through some of its harshest periods, including the pandemic year, when the USPS faced major operational and financial woes amid lockdowns and economic downturns.

His resignation came amid reports the U.S. president is pushing his call last year to privatize the USPS, an independent agency.

Trump's Plans Align with Recent DOGE Activities

Firing the postal service's governing board is already a huge issue, but Trump is also reportedly looking to take control of the agency by placing it under the Commerce Department.

His plans seem to align well with the recent momentum of the unofficial government unit, the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been encouraging the president to downsize the federal government and make aggressive cuts to spending.

A growing number of people are using the hashtag #saveUSPS on X, a Musk-owned social media platform.

Most X users posting about the hashtag are against the agency's privatization, which they said would turn the USPS into a for-profit service instead of one that serves the public.

APWU Decries 'Attacks' on USPS

Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, which represents 222,000 active and retired postal workers, issued a statement to firmly oppose the president's reported plans.

"If this reporting is true, it would be an outrageous, unlawful attack on a storied national treasure, enshrined in the Constitution and created by Congress to serve every American home and business equally," he wrote.

"Any attack on the Postal Service would be part of the billionaire oligarch coup, directed not just at the postal workers our union represents, but the millions of Americans who rely on the critical public service our members provide every single day," he added.

He argued further that any efforts to privatize the USPS or "strip it of its independence or public service mission" would not benefit the American public in any way and instead would drive postage rates to unprecedented highs.

It may also reduce the ongoing service the agency provides to the people, especially in rural areas across the country, he said.

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