The government-funded agency has long been a beloved mail and parcel service for Americans, but recent delivery delays have led to plummeting public trust and major financial losses.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy apologized on Wednesday for slow mail during the peak holiday season, deeming it "unacceptable."
"I apologize to those customers who felt the impact of our delays," DeJoy said at a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing. "All of us at the Postal Service, from our Board, to our leadership team, to our union and association leadership, to every employee strive to do better in our service to the American people -- and we will do better."
The comments come as Democrats are at odds over how to approach DeJoy.
Changes made to the Postal Service under DeJoy, the US postmaster general and major donor to former President Donald Trump, sparked outrage last year when critics blamed him for the slowdown of mail delivery ahead the election. Democrats linked DeJoy to Trump's anti-mail-in voting rhetoric and accused him of attempting to sabotage the Postal Service just as now-President Joe Biden was relying on mailed ballots to deliver him the White House.
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Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on August 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. DeJoy apologized on February 24 for slow mail during the peak holiday season, deeming it "unacceptable."
Some Democrats want a brand new slate of governors who could immediately fire DeJoy, while others are taking a more moderate approach, hoping they can instead work with the controversial USPS leader and cut a deal on a long-awaited bill to overhaul the agency.
DeJoy previously apologized for slow service last year when there were questions about whether mail-in ballots would be delivered on time for the 2020 election.
Wednesday, DeJoy said the problems the Postal Service faced make more evident the need for reform. He is expected to release a new 10-year plan, which he said in his opening statement will be finalized "soon."
"The status quo should be acceptable to no one," he said.
One source familiar with the plan told CNN that changing first class mail delivery is under consideration -- a move that experts say could further slow down mail.
14 fun facts about your mail
14 fun facts about your mail
1. Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general in U.S. history
Before 1971, the postmaster general was a member of the president’s Cabinet.
2. The Postal Service processed and delivered 425.3 million pieces of mail per day in 2021.
3. There are more than 139,868 blue mail collection boxes in the U.S.
4. There are 31,247 Postal Service-managed retail offices.
5. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of USPS.
In 2021, inspectors carried out 5,141 arrests and 3,784 convictions for postal crimes, including mail theft and mail fraud.
6. The U.S. Postal Service has no official motto.
The quote often thought to be its motto — "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" — is inscribed on the James A. Farley Post Office in New York City and comes from the ancient Persian historian Herodotus.
7. USPS generally receives no tax dollars, and funds itself through the sale of postage and other services.
8. Contrary to popular belief, the Pony Express was never officially a part of the U.S. Postal Service.
The official name of the Pony Express was the Overland Express Route.
9. The Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp has raised more than $93.9 million for breast cancer research since 1998.
More than 1.09 billion stamps have been sold.
10. The Alzheimer’s semipostal has raised more than $1.2 million since 2017.
11. The Save Vanishing Species semipostal has raised more than $6.6 million since 2011.
More than 59.2 million Save Vanishing Species stamps have been sold.
12. The United Kingdom’s iconic red mail collection boxes are called pillar boxes.
After the 2012 London Olympics, pillar boxes in the hometowns of gold medalists were painted gold.
13. The United Nations has an agency called the Universal Postal Union that coordinates postal policy internationally.
14. If it were a private sector company, the Postal Service would rank 43rd in the 2021 Fortune 500.
In the 2021 Global Fortune 500 list, it ranked 123rd.
