The United States Postal Service (USPS) is implementing changes nationwide this April that will impact millions of customers, including those in Georgia.
These changes aim to boost efficiency and reduce costs, but some residents may experience a slower delivery.
This “Delivering for America” plan, already partially underway, will fully roll out in two phases. The second phase is scheduled for later this year.
According to USPS, these adjustments will generate $36 billion in savings over the next decade.
Here’s what you need to know about confirmed changes to USPS services and mail delivery in Georgia.
What changes are the USPS making?
According to USPS, the organization relies on the sales of stamps and postage, its products and services to fund operations and usually does not get tax dollars for operating expenses. It’s independent, meant to be self-financing.
The agency has seen a sharp decline in first-class mail since electronic communication became more popular. It’s dropped 80% since 1997, and volumes are the lowest since 1968, according to Reuters reporting.
It lost $9.5 billion in 2024. USPS is expected to lose another $6.9 billion in 2025, according to reporting from Government Executive.
President Donald Trump is critical of the service, which delivers to 163 million addresses nationwide and employs 530,000 workers.
Trump aims to see it make a profit and has floated the idea of merging it with the Commerce Department. That would halt the USPS’s independent status and put it under his administration.
“It’ll be a form of a merger, but it’ll remain the Postal Service,” Trump said. “And I think it’ll operate a lot better than it has been over the years. It’s been just a tremendous loser for this country.”
Postmaster strikes deal with DOGE, 10K jobs to be cut
In March, then-U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he signed a deal with the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk.
The department had been exempt from DOGE cuts, but DeJoy reportedly told Congress in a letter that USPS would cut 10,000 jobs over the next month through a voluntary early retirement program.
The reduction plan was announced in January and is different than the federal employee buyout offer announced for most civilian federal employees. According to a news release from the American Postal Workers Union, workers who opt to retire early can get a one-time $15,000 incentive paid in two parts.
DeJoy said the deal with DOGE and the General Services Administration will help with “identifying and achieving further efficiencies.”
Will Trump merge USPS? What if he does?
Musk has said he wants to see it privatized.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has suggested that postal workers could carry out the U.S. census and handle tasks performed by Social Security employees as cost-cutting measures.
Newsweek reporting said the merger, if it goes through could close offices, slow delivery, increase costs and lead to layoffs. It also could hit rural areas hardest.
How will the new changes affect mail in Georgia?
The first round of changes start on April 1.
Some areas could get “2-3-day turnaround service within regions and specific local areas,” according to the postal service.
Some post offices could have delivery extended by a day. The information provided didn’t say which ones could expect delayed mail delivery caused by changes to regional transportation schedules.
“Under the new approach, while most mail will retain the same service standard, some mail will have a faster standard, and some will have a slightly slower standard. For First-Class Mail, the current service standard day range of 1-5 days is staying the same, while the day ranges for end-to-end Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services are being shortened. All Mail will benefit from more reliable service,” a USPS news release reads.
The postal service said, “all packages will benefit from more reliable service.” The 2-5 day range for USPS Ground Advantage will stay the same. However, some shipping product will have a slower delivery range going forward.
Five-digit zip code add-ons are meant to streamline sorting and delivery as compared the current three-digit pairs.
USPS already has a map online that will let customers see how long it will take to deliver mail from one zip code to another. Customers also can look up service standards at usps.com.
Service standards will be “refined” for:
- First-Class Mail.
- Periodicals.
- Marketing Mail.
- Package Services (Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail).
- USPS Ground Advantage.
- Priority Mail.
- Priority Mail Express.
When will the next changes to the postal service happen?
The next changes are set to take effect on July 1. More information will be released closer to that date.
How many post offices are there in Georgia?
The United States Postal Service lists 881 offices in Georgia. However, more than 280 of those are discontinued offices.
Could Trump privatize the postal service?
That would require congressional approval.
The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 made the postal service an independent agency under the executive branch. USPS is directed by a Board of Governors appointed by the president and approved by Congress.
The president can make nominations but doesn’t have direct oversight.
What to know about Louis DeJoy
DeJoy stepped down as postmaster general on Tuesday, March 24. He informed the board of governors in February of his plan to resign. Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino will lead USPS until the role is filled.
“I believe strongly that the organization is well positioned and capable of carrying forward and fully implementing the many strategies and initiatives that comprise our transformation and modernization, and I have been working closely with the Deputy Postmaster General to prepare for this transition. While our management team and the men and women of the Postal Service have established the path toward financial sustainability and high operating performance – and we have instituted enormous beneficial change to what had been an adrift and moribund organization – much work remains that is necessary to sustain our positive trajectory.”
He has worked over the last five years to cut forecasted losses from $160 billion to $80 billion over 10 years, including cancelling and renegotiating contracts. USPS has cut 30,000 jobs since 2021.
DeJoy has claimed that the Postal Regulatory Commission “inflicted over $50 billion in damage to the Postal Service by administering defective pricing models and decades-old bureaucratic processes.”
The Commission, however, said USPS had wasted $100 billion and lost more money, “making USPS less efficient, and collapsing service, especially for rural Americans.”
When will the new postmaster general be named?
The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors announced that executive search firm Egon Zehnder has been hired to carry out the search for the new postmaster general.
“The Postal Service plays an essential role in American life and, as we navigate a critical period of transformation and modernization, the Governors of the Postal Service are committed to ensuring strong and visionary leadership for the organization,” Amber McReynolds, chairwoman of the USPS Board of Governors, said in a news release.
No timeline has been set for the announcement, according to the board of governors.
Bonnie Bolden of The Mississippi Clarion Ledger contributed to this article.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at [email protected]m.
