Marketplace Morning Report Should we expect USPS to make money?
Mar 20, 2026
Elizabeth Troval, Marketplace reporter on agriculture and economic impacts, discusses rising fertilizer and diesel costs for U.S. farmers. Carla Javier, Marketplace business reporter, outlines the U.S. Postal Service's deep financial struggles and possible fixes like fewer delivery days or higher stamps. They focus on the postal cash crisis and how global conflict drives farm input prices.
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USPS Structural Losses From Service Mandate
- The USPS faces persistent structural losses driven by universal service obligations and falling letter volumes.
- Rick Geddes and Jim Campbell explain six-day delivery and price caps make costs high while mail volume and pricing power shrink.
Consider Delivery Cuts And Price Increases
- The Postmaster General and experts list concrete options to avert insolvency including cutting delivery days, closing remote offices, and raising stamp prices.
- David Steiner suggested these steps as short-term levers while longer reforms are considered by Congress.
Profitability Is A Political Decision
- Whether the USPS should be expected to earn a profit is ultimately a political choice about public services versus market discipline.
- James O'Rourke contrasts the Postal Service with nonrevenue agencies like the Forest Service and Weather Service to frame the debate for Congress.