How Congress Caused Postal Service Financial Problems

Updated 18 August 2020

In 2006, Congress passed a law requiring the US Postal Service (USPS) to make annual $5.5 billion payments to a future-retiree healthcare fund—something no other government agency or private corporation must do. Two radio pieces nicely summarize how this act of Congress got USPS into its current financial mess, and how Congress refuses to take the simple step that would solve the problem:

An 8/1/12 Democracy Now piece:


An 8/10/12 Counterspin piece:

Document: Fact sheet on legislation to repeal the future-funding mandate, from National Association of Letter Carriers