My father was a superintendent of a post office on the south side of Chicago. He was always proud of the post office and the job it did in connecting people through letters and packages. I grew up taking the post office for granted, assuming it would always be there delivering the mail. That assumption, in this time of Trump and COVID-19, can no longer be taken for granted despite the fact that it is the most trusted U.S. government agency.
The U.S. Postal Service dates to 1775 when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress. It is the only government agency expected to fund itself. When COVID-19 closed down our economy, the Postal Service saw a 30 percent drop in the volume of mail. Last April, the USPS estimated it will lose $22 billion in the next 18 months, saying that without federal assistance it could run out of money in September.
Acknowledging the vital nature of the post office, Democrats and Republicans agreed on a $13 billion direct cash payment to be include in the first $2 trillion coronavirus bailout (aka the CARES Act). Trump, using his established tactic of withholding congressional payments to get what he wants (as he did with Ukraine), said he would not sign the bill if it included direct payments to "bail out" the post office: “If they don’t raise the price, I’m not signing anything." A "compromise" for a $10 billion loan to the postal service, subject to approval by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, was reached. To date, none of that assistance money has reached the USPS.