Changes are coming to how mail is delivered across the United States as the U.S. Postal Service continues to find itself in the crosshairs of a Trump administration determined to slash federal spending and increase efficiency.
President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts, led by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, have not spared an agency that otherwise operates and funds itself independently.
The changes hitting USPS this month, which took effect April 1, are just the first in a 10-year plan, dubbed “Delivering for America.” Ultimately, the plan includes cutting jobs, adding a new fleet of electric delivery trucks to replace existing trucks that keep breaking down and slowing delivery for many rural customers.
The changes also come amid growing protests from postal workers and supporters opposed to service reductions, which USPS says will help save the organization $36 billion over a decade.
Here’s what to know:
What is the USPS?
The United States Postal Service, older than the U.S. itself, delivers to 165 million addresses six times a week.
Although the postal service is technically an independent agency, Congress maintains close control.
But some critics who have long wanted to see the agency overhauled have pointed to the significant challenges the USPS has faced as Americans send fewer letters, Christmas cards and wedding invitations. Last year, the service handled more than 116 billion pieces of mail, with most of that being presorted mailers, solicitations, or other items that many people would consider “junk” mail.
Last year, the postal service lost $9.5 billion as private companies like FedEx and UPS outcompete it for some parcel deliveries.
Postmaster strikes deal with DOGE, 10,000 jobs to be cut
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stepped down after inking a deal in March with with billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
The agreed-upon changes included cutting 10,000 jobs through early retirements. More than 75% of the postal service’s budget goes to paying its roughly 635,000 workers, and those 10,000 job cuts reflect only a 1.5% staffing reduction.
More: Is USPS mail delivery changing? How postal service changes affect South Bend post offices
According to a news release from the American Postal Workers Union, workers who opted to retire early were eligible for a one-time $15,000 incentive paid in two parts.
Appointed during the first Trump presidency, DeJoy said in a letter to Congress that DOGE would help usher a “historic level of transformational change” by reducing costs.
How will mail delivery be different?
The changes that went into effect this month will affect millions of customers across the country. While the moves are designed to improve efficiency and cut costs, some people may notice slower delivery.
According to the USPS, service standards will be “refined” for:
Delivery of first-class mail is expected to take no more than five days, while the 2-5 day range for USPS Ground Advantage will also stay the same, the postal service said. Certain postage like marketing materials, periodicals and other packages may even be delivered faster, according to the USPS news release.
The majority of first-class mail, 75%, should notice no change to their first-class mail delivery services, the postal service said. However, 14% will be upgraded to a faster standard, while another 11% of first-class mail will be delivered slower, though still within the 1-5 day deliver window.
For more precise expectations, the USPS is now using 5-Digit ZIP code pairs, rather than current standards that are based on 3-Digit ZIP code 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.
More changes coming
The next changes are set to take effect July 1. More information will be released closer to that date.
Trump suggests merging USPS with Commerce; Musk wants it privatized
Trump, who has long been critical of the USPS and its declining deliveries, has in the past floated the idea that it be merged into the Commerce Department. Such a move would bring the now-independent postal service under Trump’s authority.
“It’ll remain the Postal Service, and I think it’ll operate a lot better than it has been over the years,” Trump said on Feb. 24. “It’s been just a tremendous loser for this country.”
More: Changes are coming for your mail: Postal service faces challenges − digital and DOGE
Musk has also suggested privatizing the agency, as many other countries have done. Such a move would likely require congressional approval.
Rural communities could be unequally impacted
Unlike the postal service, private companies do not have the same service obligations requiring delivery to rural or sparsely-populated areas – even at a loss. Companies like FedEx and UPS can charge higher prices for harder deliveries in such area, or simply not deliver to them at all.
Instead, those companies are more likely to focus services on areas with more people, more places and more profit.
More: How US Postal Service’s proposed rural mail slowdown will affect Licking County unclear
In contrast, the postal service is required to deliver to virtually every address in the country, regardless of how much it costs. Some mail carriers even still use mules or horses to deliver to Supai, Arizona, a remote Havasupai tribal village in the Grand Canyon of Arizona, or float planes to serve fishing villages off the Alaskan coast.
Under a privatized system, mail outgoing and incoming to rural regions would likely be delayed. Service could become much more expensive or be cut off entirely.
Postal workers rally after DOGE threatens to dismantle USPS
News that Musk’s DOGE team would be scouring the service for savings sparked recent protests across the U.S.
Thousands of unionized postal workers and their supporters rallied across the nation in late March to protest proposals to dismantle the U.S. Postal Service. Union workers have argued that mail delivery is a vital public service that shouldn’t necessarily turn a profit.
Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; Bonnie Bolden, Mississippi Clarion Ledger; Reuters
This article originally appeared on Farmers Advance: USPS changes to mail delivery are underway: What we know about faster and slower deliveries
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, Trevor Hughes and Claire Grant / Farmers Advance
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
