BY J. EDWARD MORENO - 04/23/20
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The Trump administration is considering tying changes to the U.S. Postal Service to the emergency coronavirus loan from Congress, according to The Washington Post.
Treasury Department officials told the Post they are speaking with senior officials at the USPS about using the $18 billion loan allocated to the Postal Service by Congress as leverage to influence the way the agency charges for package delivery.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is also reportedly seeking to influence the hiring process for senior officials at USPS.
Trump has often said that the way the Postal Service is run benefits companies like Amazon. The administration would like USPS to increase how much it charges for package deliveries in general and double what it charges Amazon.
Congress issued $10 billion in loans to USPS in the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill passed last month. Mnuchin rejected a bipartisan Senate proposal to give the Postal Service a bailout in early negotiations, according to the Post.
UPS and FedEx told the Post they are in favor of USPS maintaining flexibility, but would welcome accountability from the agency.
The Postal Service is projecting a $13 billion shortfall due to the pandemic while employees remain classified as essential. According to the American Postal Workers Union, 1,219 workers of the Postal Service’s 630,000-person workforce have tested positive for the coronavirus and 44 workers have died.
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