US Postal Service changes to mail delivery have started in Florida. Here's what to know

Yahoo

19-04-2025

Changes have started in the United States Postal Service that will affect millions of customers across the country. The moves are designed to improve efficiency and cut costs, but some people might not get certain types of mail as quickly as they're used to.
In March, then-U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he signed a deal with the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, to assist the agency in addressing "big problems."
The first phase of the plan started on April 1. The USPS announced "refinements to service standards," which the agency said in a release are estimated to save the Postal Service at least $36 billion over the next ten years.
"USPS has already achieved $2.2 billion in annual transportation cost reductions by streamlining networks and optimizing air and surface options," the release said. "Additionally, it has decreased work hours by 50 million — translating to $2.5 billion in annual savings, by enhancing plant productivity and closing unnecessary facilities.
"At the same time, the Postal Service has increased revenue by $3.5 billion annually by adapting product offerings amidst significant declines in First-Class Mail volume," the USPS said.
The second phase of the plan is set to roll out later this year.
The organization relies on the sales of stamps and postage along with other products and services to fund operations. The USPS is independent, does not use tax dollars for operating expenses, and is meant to be self-financing.
However, the USPS has been struggling since the organization was hit by a couple of laws. First, in 1970, the Postal Reorganization Act required the postal service to serve all Americans while also breaking even, suggesting it should operate as a business rather than the government service it had been for nearly 200 years.
Then it was hamstrung by a bipartisan 2006 law that was meant to tweak some regulations and policies to help with falling revenue but a demand from the Bush administration, included a requirement to set aside billions each year to cover future retiree health and pension benefits for employees past, present and future. The law also restricted the USPS from offering any new services other than the ones it already offered.
The Postal Service Reform Act, passed with bipartisan support in Congress in 2022 and signed by former President Joe Biden, dropped the mandate to refund future retiree benefits and allowed the USPS to create "non-postal services" in partnership with state and local government, like fishing licenses and subway passes.
The change may have been too little, too late. Since electronic communication became more popular, the USPS has seen a sharp decline in first-class mail.
USPS revenue has dropped 80% since 1997, and volumes are the lowest since 1968, Reuters reported. It cost $9.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to cost another $6.9 billion in 2025, according to reporting from Government Executive.
According to Pew Research Centers, the USPS is the second-most popular federal agency: 72% of Americans like it, coming in second behind the National Park Service (76% in favor) and ahead of NASA (67%).
President Donald Trump is critical of the service, which delivers to 163 million addresses nationwide and employs 530,000 workers. He has floated the idea of merging it with the Commerce Department. That would halt the USPS's independent status and put it under his administration's control.
"It'll be a form of a merger, but it'll remain the Postal Service," Trump said. "And I think it'll operate a lot better than it has been over the years. It's been just a tremendous loser for this country."
The Washington Post, citing postal sources, said the plan would "probably violate federal law."
The Postal Service operates 303 facilities in Florida as of October 2024.
Here's what you need to know about confirmed changes to USPS services and mail delivery.
The department had been exempt from the DOGE cuts that have slashed thousands of jobs in several federal agencies, but DeJoy reportedly told Congress in a letter that USPS would cut 10,000 jobs over the next month through a voluntary early retirement program.
The reduction plan was announced in January and is different than the federal employee buyout offer announced for most civilian federal employees. According to a news release from the American Postal Workers Union, workers who opt to retire early can get a one-time $15,000 incentive paid in two parts.
DeJoy said the deal with DOGE and the General Services Administration will help with "identifying and achieving further efficiencies."
The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, said Trump wanted to merge the USPS under his administration and planned to fire the governing board of the postal service via executive order. The White House said no such order existed, but Trump did confirm that the merger was being considered.
Musk has said he wants to see it privatized.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has suggested that postal workers could carry out the U.S. census and handle tasks performed by Social Security employees as cost-cutting measures.
Newsweek reported the merger, if it goes through, could close offices, slow delivery, limit days of delivery, increase costs and lead to layoffs. Reduced delivery would likely hit rural areas hardest.
Some areas could get "2-3-day turnaround service within regions and specific local areas," according to the postal service.
Some post offices could have delivery extended by a day. The information provided didn't say which ones could expect delayed mail delivery caused by changes to regional transportation schedules.
"Under the new approach, while 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 1-5 days is staying the same, while the day ranges for end-to-end Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services are being shortened. All Mail will benefit from more reliable service," a USPS news release reads.
The postal service said, "all packages will benefit from more reliable service." The 2-5 day range for USPS Ground Advantage will stay the same. However, some shipping products will have a slower delivery range going forward.
Five-digit zip code add-ons are meant to streamline sorting and delivery as compared to the current three-digit pairs.
USPS already has a map online that will let customers see how long it will take to deliver mail from one zip code to another. Customers can also look up service standards at usps.com.
Service standards will be "refined" for:
First-Class Mail.
Periodicals.
Marketing Mail.
Package Services (Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail).
USPS Ground Advantage.
Priority Mail.
Priority Mail Express.
The next changes are set to take effect on July 1. More information will be released closer to that date.
That would require congressional approval.
The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 made the Postal Service 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 doesn't have direct oversight.
Contributing: George Petras, John Bacon, Phaedra Trethan, David Shepardson
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: USPS changes will affect mail delivery in Florida. Here's how