Post Office Panic

When Rhiannon Hampson, a farmer in coastal Maine, went to her post office to pick up a recent delivery of newly hatched chicks, the box was eerily silent.

“We could hear a few, very faint peeps,” Hampson says. “Out of 500, there were maybe 25 alive. They were staggering. It was terrible.”

For decades, postal carriers have delivered day-old chicks in cardboard boxes to small farmers and families with backyard henhouses. But this summer, postal delays have wreaked havoc with the tradition, and chicks around the country have arrived dead.

The delays that became apparent in the late summer are the latest sign of crisis at an agency that has been plagued with financial troubles for a long time. The problems have been exacerbated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and deep concerns have arisen that the Postal Service won’t be able to deliver millions of mail-in ballots fast enough during the November presidential election.

Amid these challenges, President Trump has been attacking the Postal Service, calling it “a joke,” and refusing to support additional funding. Democrats say he’s trying to deter mail-in voting to help his chances in the election.

Rhiannon Hampson is a farmer in coastal Maine. She recently went to her post office to pick up a delivery of newly hatched chicks. When she arrived, the box was weirdly silent.

“We could hear a few, very faint peeps,” Hampson says. “Out of 500, there were maybe 25 alive. They were staggering. It was terrible.”

For decades, postal carriers have delivered day-old chicks in cardboard boxes to small farmers and families with backyard henhouses. But this summer, postal delays have made that difficult. Unfortunately, chicks around the country have arrived dead.

The postal delays became more noticeable in the late summer. It’s the latest sign of crisis at an agency that has been plagued with financial troubles for a long time. The problems have been worsened by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. That’s given rise to deep concerns that the Postal Service won’t be able to deliver millions of mail-in ballots fast enough during the November presidential election.

Amid these challenges, President Trump has been attacking the Postal Service. He’s been calling it “a joke,” and he’s refusing to support extra funding. Democrats say he’s trying to block mail-in voting to help his chances in the election.

Americans depend on the post office to deliver paychecks, medicines, and the products we buy online. But due to the shift to email, texting, and electronic bill paying, the amount of mail the agency handles has dipped more than 30 percent in the past decade, and that has meant it takes in far less money.

In 1970, Congress mandated that the Postal Service support itself through its revenues—essentially, what people pay for stamps and shipping—rather than depending on taxpayer funding. But the last time the agency made a profit was 2006; it’s been losing money since.

Part of the post office’s financial woes stem from restraints imposed by Congress: It’s required by law to deliver mail six days a week to everyone in the U.S.—no matter how remote their location—and it’s not allowed to raise the price of a first-class stamp by more than the rate of inflation. A stamp today costs 55 cents; 20 years ago, it cost 33 cents.

“A lot of the stuff they do is not commercially viable,” says Kevin Kosar, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who has long studied the post office. “Hauling all sorts of stuff to Alaska is not cheap, but Alaskans don’t pay higher rates, so the post office just has to eat that.”

Americans depend on the post office to deliver paychecks, medicines, and the products we buy online. But there’s been a shift to email, texting, and electronic bill paying. These changes have caused the amount of mail the agency handles to dip more than 30 percent in the past decade. That has meant it takes in far less money.

In 1970, Congress ordered that the Postal Service support itself through its revenues rather than depending on taxpayer funding. That means the agency essentially gets funded by what people pay for stamps and shipping. But the last time the agency made a profit was 2006; it’s been losing money since.

Part of the post office’s financial issues stem from limits Congress put in place. It’s required by law to deliver mail six days a week to everyone in the U.S. And that’s no matter how remote a location might be. The agency also can’t raise the price of a first-class stamp by more than the rate of inflation. A stamp today costs 55 cents; 20 years ago, it cost 33 cents.

“A lot of the stuff they do is not commercially viable,” says Kevin Kosar, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who has long studied the post office. “Hauling all sorts of stuff to Alaska is not cheap, but Alaskans don’t pay higher rates, so the post office just has to eat that.”

Many historians point to the unique role the post office has played in holding the country together. It’s also one of the most popular government agencies: A Pew survey in April found that 91 percent of Americans view it favorably.

The history of the Postal Service goes back to before the nation’s founding. In 1775, the Continental Congress asked Benjamin Franklin to organize a postal system for the 13 colonies at war with Great Britain. In 1791, President George Washington wrote in his annual message that a strong postal system was essential to democracy and would help to spread “a knowledge of the laws and proceedings of the Government.”

As the nation developed, the post office played a critical role in keeping citizens informed and connecting them, says historian Ted Widmer.

Now that role is being tested. Much of the recent attention has focused on Louis DeJoy, who became postmaster general in May. DeJoy, who headed a private logistics company, has donated millions of dollars to the Republican Party and Trump’s re-election. Within weeks of taking over the Postal Service, DeJoy began making changes that he says are needed to save money, including cuts to overtime and limiting mail delivery trips.

Soon, mail was piling up at post offices, veterans weren’t receiving their medications, bills were arriving late, and questions began surfacing about the ability of the Postal Service to handle what is expected to be a record number of mail-in ballots this November because of the pandemic.

Many historians point to the unique role the post office has played in holding the country together. It’s also one of the most popular government agencies. A Pew survey in April found that 91 percent of Americans view it favorably.

The history of the Postal Service goes back to before the nation’s founding. In 1775, the Continental Congress asked Benjamin Franklin to organize a postal system for the 13 colonies at war with Great Britain. In 1791, President George Washington wrote in his annual message that a strong postal system was essential to democracy and would help to spread “a knowledge of the laws and proceedings of the Government.”

As the nation developed, the post office played a critical role in keeping citizens informed and connecting them, says historian Ted Widmer.

Now, that role is being tested. Much of the recent attention has focused on Louis DeJoy, who became postmaster general in May. DeJoy was once head of a private logistics company. He’s donated millions of dollars to the Republican Party and Trump’s re-election. Within weeks of taking over the Postal Service, DeJoy began making changes. He’s put things in place like cuts to overtime and limited mail delivery trips. He says they are needed to save money.

Soon, mail was piling up at post offices. Veterans weren’t receiving their medications. Bills were arriving late. And questions began surfacing about the ability of the Postal Service to handle what is expected to be a record number of mail-in ballots this November because of the pandemic.

“More than 3,000 constituents have contacted my office recently about Postal Service delays,” says Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, “and they can’t afford to have the Trump administration playing politics with their mail and their medications.”

Trump has repeatedly said that mail-in voting will lead to election fraud—a claim experts say has no basis in fact. Democrats, who want to increase voter turnout, say post office delays will make it harder—and more risky—for many people to vote during the pandemic.

Some Republican lawmakers have expressed confidence in the post office. “The facts show the U.S.P.S. is equipped to handle this election,” says Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader.

Amid an outcry from lawmakers, civil rights groups, and state officials, DeJoy said in a statement that “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail” he was suspending changes. He says he’s trying to reform an organization with a “broken business model.”

Kosar agrees that the postal service needs reform. Its infrastructure is set up to handle paper mail, not the packages that are more and more of its business, he explains. But he has great faith in the post office’s ability to evolve and continue to serve Americans.

“It’s a critical public service,” Kosar says. “We’re in a pandemic, and one of the reasons we’re able to get through this is that the post office is still operating.”

“More than 3,000 constituents have contacted my office recently about Postal Service delays,” says Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, “and they can’t afford to have the Trump administration playing politics with their mail and their medications.”

Trump has repeatedly said that mail-in voting will lead to election fraud. It’s a claim that experts say has no basis in fact. Democrats want to increase voter turnout. They say the post office delays will make it harder and more risky for many people to vote during the pandemic.

Some Republican lawmakers have expressed confidence in the post office. “The facts show the U.S.P.S. is equipped to handle this election,” says Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader.

There’s been outcry from lawmakers, civil rights groups, and state officials. That’s caused DeJoy to change course. In a statement, he said that “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail” he was suspending changes. DeJoy says he’s trying to reform an organization with a “broken business model.”

Kosar agrees that the Postal Service needs reform. Its infrastructure is set up to handle paper mail. That means it wasn’t designed to handle the packages that are more and more of its business, he explains. But he has great faith in the post office’s ability to evolve and continue to serve Americans.

“It’s a critical public service,” Kosar says. “We’re in a pandemic, and one of the reasons we’re able to get through this is that the post office is still operating.”