How does this otherwise commendably detailed & important story fails to include discussion of the 2006 requirement imposed by Republicans in legislation that requires the USPS to fully pre-fund its pension & health plans for 75 yrs & the consequences of this financial burden.
To say the agency has been "decimated by the decline in first-class mail" without recognizing the effect of this onerous requirement that no other private & public company is required to meet is a grievously incomplete analysis of the rationale Mnuchin & Trump are advancing.
It is a serious matter for the President of the U.S. to try and take control of the operations of a public good for the purpose of punishing a private businessperson he sees as an enemy, as this report & others & the President's own words have suggested may be the case.
The arguments offered to support this move by the President should include the relevant information about how the USPS has ended up in financial trouble. Btw, the House has passed legislation to relieve the USPS of the onerous pre-funding burden. govexec.com/pay-benefits/2… Senate?
