Postal Service is making changes. Will USPS mail be slower in Florida? What to know

Yahoo

02-04-2025

As President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – run by Elon Musk – make sweeping cuts and attempt to dissolve or merge certain agencies throughout the federal government, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is no exception.
Changes to how and when USPS delivers certain mail take effect this week, with more changes on the way this July.
'Older than the United States itself, the postal service faces significant challenges as Americans send fewer letters, Christmas cards and wedding invitations,' USA TODAY reported this week.
'Now, President Donald Trump's federal cost-cutting efforts, led by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, are targeting how to stop the service from losing money.'
Here's what we know about if Trump could privatize USPS, what changes are taking effect this month and how it affects when your mail gets to where it's going.
Trump could technically privatize USPS, but it would be quite difficult and require congressional approval.
Under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (H.R. 17070), the postal service functions as an independent agency under the executive branch. USPS is directed by a Board of Governors appointed by the president and approved by Congress. The president can make nominations, but he doesn't have direct oversight.
Reorganizing how the agency works (which is what's happening now) is much easier than privatizing and doesn't require congressional approval.
While some Trump supporters and critics of USPS want to see the service merge with the Commerce Department or even privatize, the postal service is still technically an independent agency. And Congress maintains close control.
Retired New York University professor Steve Hutkins, a longtime postal service champion, told USA TODAY that he's skeptical DOGE will be able to make significant inroads.
'I don't know what Musk can do to make those things happen because of the legal barriers to making to them happen,' Hutkins told USA TODAY. 'If Musk wants to go there, good luck.'
The appeal for those who support the idea of privatizing the service is that USPS has been hemorrhaging billions each year. And ideally, if privatized, the service would have the chance to turn a profit.
But those who are against it, including the union workers who have been protesting DOGE's changes to the service, argue that mail delivery is a vital public service that shouldn't be profit-focused.
Changes are coming for your mail: Postal service faces challenges − digital and DOGE
The changes hitting USPS this month, which took effect on Tuesday, April 1, are just the first in USPS's 10-year plan titled 'Delivering for America: Our Vision and Ten-Year Plan to Achieve Financial Sustainability and Service Excellence,' according to the USPS website.
'The United States Postal Service is refining service standards for certain market-dominant services, helping support operational initiatives and simultaneously achieve substantial savings with no changes to the current five-day service standard window for the First-Class Mail product,' the plan says.
This month's changes are the first phase to USPS's service, with more changes coming this summer, on July 1, 2025.
According to USPS's fact sheet on the April 1 changes, the long term plan aims to save the agency at least $36 billion over the next 10 years.
Here are some key points from USPS's changes that took effect this week, according to the USPS 'Delivering for America' fact sheet:
Most mail will retain the same service standard, some mail will have a faster standard, and some will have a slightly slower standard.
For First-Class Mail, the current service standard day range of one to five days is staying the same
The day ranges for end-to-end Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services are being shortened.
Most competitive shipping products will retain the same service standard, some packages will have a faster standard, and some will have a slightly slower standard.
The current service standard day range for USPS Ground Advantage of two to five days is staying the same.
The new service standards provide more precise expectations for mailers, as they are based on 5-Digit ZIP code pairs, rather than current standards that are based on 3-Digit ZIP code pairs.
Mail that is sent on Saturday or the day before a holiday excludes Sundays and holidays as transit days.
Customers can now look up service standards on usps.com for mailings from one ZIP Code to another on a particular mailing date. The search results will display the available mail classes along with the expected delivery dates for each.
A new interactive map that displays service standards is available. Customers are able to enter the ZIP Code they are mailing from, along with the mail class, to view the expected delivery time.
Rural customers who may experience a service downgrade for mail they are sending will benefit from the increased efficiencies that will be gained, particularly for mail they are receiving (including checks and medicines).
Whether or not your packages deliver or arrive slower or faster under the new service changes depends on what you're mailing.
As mentioned in the list above, USPS says that 'most mail will retain the same service standard, some mail will have a faster standard, and some will have a slightly slower standard.'
For First-Class Mail, the current service standard of a one-to-five-day delivery time is staying the same.
If you want to track a package, you can use the USPS Service Standards Map, which allows you to see expected delivery times between ZIP Codes for domestic mailing and shipping.
According to a USPS October statement on how 2024 hurricanes affected service in Florida, the postal service operates 303 facilities in the state.
To find the closest USPS location near you, you can use USPS's location finding tool on its website.
Contributing: Bonnie Bolden, The Clarion Ledger; Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: USPS is trying to save money: How mail delivery is changing