The United States Postal Service (USPS) is set to reduce its workforce by 10,000 employees within the next 30 days, marking one of the most significant job cuts in the agency’s recent history.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced the plan in a letter to Congress on March 13, 2025. The plan aims to address the USPS’s persistent financial challenges through a voluntary early retirement program.
The move comes as the agency grapples with a reported $9.5 billion loss in 2024, despite its status as an independent government entity with an annual budget of $78 billion.
The decision has sparked widespread discussion, with details emerging from various news outlets and social media platforms.
According to reports, the job cuts are part of a broader effort to streamline operations and reduce costs, a strategy DeJoy has been pursuing since taking the helm in 2020.
Unlike federal agencies subject to workforce reductions mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a new initiative led by Elon Musk—the USPS operates independently and is exempt from such directives.
Instead, this reduction is a self-initiated measure, with DOGE reportedly playing a collaborative role in tackling the agency’s “big problems,” as noted in a recent article from a major news magazine.
The voluntary early retirement program is designed to minimize forced layoffs, offering eligible employees an opportunity to exit with benefits.
While the USPS has not released specifics on who qualifies, the scale of the reduction—10,000 workers in just one month—underscores the urgency of the agency’s financial situation.
Labor unions, including the National Association of Letter Carriers, have expressed alarm. Union President Brian L. Renfroe warned that such cuts could signal a push toward privatization, a move that might threaten the livelihoods of the USPS’s 640,000-strong workforce.
He emphasized the need for “practical, sensible solutions” to preserve the agency’s role as a public service.
Public reaction has been swift, particularly on social media, where users have voiced a mix of concern and skepticism.
Some have pointed to the timing—just weeks after the holiday season—as evidence of deeper systemic issues, with one X user quipping that packages from last Christmas remain “out for delivery.”
Others have framed the cuts as a necessary step to modernize an agency long criticized for inefficiency.
News reports have echoed this sentiment, noting that the USPS has struggled to adapt to declining mail volumes and rising operational costs, even as demand for package delivery has surged in the e-commerce era.
The involvement of DOGE has added another layer of intrigue.
Described as a partner in the USPS’s cost-cutting efforts, the department—though not directly overseeing the agency—appears to align with DeJoy’s vision of a leaner postal service.
This collaboration has raised questions about the future of the USPS, with some analysts suggesting that further reforms, or even partial privatization, could be on the horizon.
