The leader of the U.S. Postal Service warned lawmakers on Tuesday that the agency could run out of money by October or November unless Congress provides changes that ease its near-term cash obligations. Speaking to a House Oversight subcommittee, U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner said the Postal Service needs higher stamp prices, increased borrowing authority and other legislative reforms to avoid a fiscal crisis.
"Were in a crisis," Steiner told the panel. He said the agency is currently making required retirement and other payments to the government and that continuing to do so under current rules could leave the service unable to meet its obligations in the autumn. Steiner added that if the agency chooses to default on some payments, as it has in prior years, it could extend its cash runway to less than a year; and if those payments are stretched out, the shortfall would more likely fall into February.
Steiner presented a range of operational and revenue options the loss-making agency is considering to reduce costs and shore up finances. Among the measures discussed were ending six-day-a-week deliveries, closing small post offices in remote areas and raising the price of a first-class mail stamp from the present $0.78 to $1 or more.
- Steiner said moving to five-day delivery would save the Postal Service about $3 billion annually.
- He estimated that closing small post offices in remote locations would save roughly $840 million a year.
He acknowledged that some of these options "may not be palatable to Congress or the American public." The agency has engaged consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal to produce a report to help plan for all scenarios, and USPS officials said they are awaiting that analysis.
Steiner noted the longer-term financial picture that has pressured the Postal Service. Since 2007 the agency has reported net losses totaling $118 billion, driven in part by a sustained decline in first-class mail volume to its lowest level since the late 1960s. Earlier, in December, Steiner had said he believed the agency could run out of cash as soon as early 2027 if conditions did not change.
At the hearing, Republican Representative Pete Sessions, who chaired the subcommittee, said he would work with the Postal Service on addressing the agency's challenges but stated he does not support raising stamp prices. "Were going to have to make tough decisions," Sessions said. Representative Kweisi Mfume, the subcommittee's top Democrat, likewise urged action, saying reforms were necessary. "We cannot let the U.S. Postal Service die," Mfume said, adding that Congress cannot "do nothing and watch the Titanic sink."
With less than a year of cash on hand under current payment obligations, Steiner said the agency must consider every option on the table. The decisions outlined span operational changes that would affect delivery schedules and the physical footprint of post offices, as well as revenue moves that would alter mail pricing.
Context and next steps
The Postal Service is awaiting detailed planning results from Alvarez & Marsal to inform choice among scenarios. Congressional action would be required to change stamp pricing authority and to expand borrowing capacity, while the operational changes discussed could be implemented internally but might face public and legislative resistance.