USPS and Postal Policy

New Postmaster General David Steiner told the Associated Press that the U.S. Postal Service is on track to run out of cash within about a year, warning that without congressional action to lift a $15 billion borrowing cap set in 1990, USPS may not be able to pay employees or vendors by February 2027. Steiner, a former waste‑management CEO and FedEx board member who took over in July 2025, said the agency is still losing roughly $9 billion a year despite modest revenue growth, and called raising the borrowing limit the fastest way to buy time while broader fixes are pursued. He argued that if the Postal Regulatory Commission allowed USPS to increase the price of a first‑class stamp from 78 cents to about 95 cents, along with expanded last‑mile delivery and pension/retiree‑health reforms, the system’s finances could be stabilized, but current oversight rules block such pricing. The interview underscores the unresolved structural contradictions of an "independent" agency expected to deliver to every address six days a week like a public utility while relying almost entirely on postage instead of federal appropriations. With past postmasters’ warnings largely ignored even after the 2022 Postal Service Reform Act, Steiner’s timeline puts Congress on the clock for decisions that will directly affect mail delivery, shipping costs, and the future of a key piece of U.S. infrastructure.