As New Postmaster General Takes Office, Taxpayer Watchdog Slams Stamp Price Hike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224)-456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance slammed the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for raising the price of First-Class Mail Forever stamp prices from 73 cents to 78 cents. This latest price hike comes as David Steiner takes office as the USPS’ 76^th Postmaster General (PMG). America’s mail carrier has raised stamp prices six times over the past three years, and this latest increase gives little hope to reform advocates calling for a different approach from the new PMG. Despite repeated price hikes, the USPS has lost more than $100 billion over the past fifteen years.

TPA President David Williams released the following statement:

“Postal leadership wrongly thinks it can price-hike its way out of a financial disaster of its own making. The truth is that the USPS only succeeds in driving customers away with each new price increase. As the non-profit postal watchdog Keep US Posted noted in a March 2024 report, the struggling agency has a terrible track record in predicting consumer sensitivity to price. And, the USPS hikes prices without fully considering the impact of previous hikes. The USPS should stop this senseless ‘stampflation’ and commit to spending and management reforms instead.”

“Incoming PMG Steiner has his work cut out for him. The USPS lost $9.5 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024 and more than $3 billion so far in FY 2025. PMG Steiner can start turning things around by reversing course on electric truck orders. The agency is paying nearly $80,000 per new electric truck and will spend an astounding $10 billion on fleet procurement over the next few years. Switching to a conventional fleet could save taxpayers more than $3 billion total. PMG Steiner should also focus on cutting labor costs, which make up 80 percent of annual agency expenses. Moving away from costly career hires can help bring the agency back into the black.”

“The USPS’ new leader must act fast to reverse his agency’s surging debt and unacceptable performance. Taxpayers and consumers deserve an agency that will deliver for the American people.”