Virginia mail service improves; second Trump push to privatize USPS ‘unlikely’

U.S. Postal Service operations have continued to improve, but a bipartisan coalition of state leaders say more work is needed to get the service to a level Virginians deserve.

Virginia was ranked at the bottom for on-time mail delivery in October 2023, at the start of the federal government’s fiscal year. Just over 66% of mail was delivered on time, compared to a national average of 87.2%, according to a Postal Service tracker.

Key reforms have pushed the state up in rankings. The state remained in the bottom 10 at the end of the fiscal year in September, with just over 81% of mail delivered on time.

As of Nov. 8, over 86% of the state’s mail is delivered on time.

The Delivering for America plan was introduced in 2021 to make the Postal Service financially stable and competitive with private mail delivery services. One part of the plan was the launch of a new processing network, with 60 regional processing and distribution centers around the U.S.

The first one was rolled out in Sandston in 2023, and a spate of issues began.

A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers, who represent urban and rural areas, contacted Postmaster General Louis DeJoy last year to share widespread constituent reports of limited delivery.

Earlier this year, the coalition toured the Sandston center after an audit pointed to significant problems at the location.

There were issues during the transition to the regional processing network, according to U.S. House Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, who toured the center located in her district.

Atlanta was also one of the first cities to implement the plan, according to McClellan. Georgia is ranked the worst in the nation for on-time deliveries, with 35% of mail delivered late. Much of the mail in Virginia goes through Atlanta, according to McClellan.

“Once it’s fully implemented the way it was intended, I do think [it] would lead to improved delivery times and improved efficiency of the mail everywhere,” McClellan said. “It’s just that transition in Richmond and Atlanta were horrible.”

The Postal Service was not transparent with customers or Congress through the transition, which caused further issues, according to McClellan. Congress has the ability to hold the Postal Service accountable for poor service because it controls the budget for the service.

“We have told them they need to do a much better job of being transparent with these changes,” McClellan said.

State lawmakers will continue to hold the Postal Service accountable until reliable mail service is restored for all Virginians, according to U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st.

The work of the bipartisan coalition to support Virginia constituents has been a “silver lining” in the experience, according to Wittman. He sent one of the first letters to DeJoy, worked with the coalition to demand answers, toured the Sandston facility and continues to receive updates from the Postal Service.

“While any improvement in on-time mail delivery is welcome progress, there’s much more work to be done to attain the level of reliable mail service that Virginians deserve,” Wittman stated. “For over a year now, the mail service provided to Virginians and businesses across the commonwealth has been inexcusable, and the lack of transparency and communication by the Postal Service has been one of the most frustrating roadblocks I have faced since coming to Congress.”

Second Trump push for privatization ‘unlikely’

Some members of the congressional delegation feel confident there would be pushback if returning President-elect Donald Trump tried again to privatize the service.

Trump called for the privatization of the Postal Service in his first term. A year after his inauguration, Trump created a task force to evaluate the service’s operations and finances, according to his archived presidential website. Trump stated it was on an “unsustainable financial path” and wanted it restructured to prevent a taxpayer-funded bailout.

The Postal Service had net losses that totaled $69 billion in a 10-year period, according to the task force. Some suggestions of the task force were to deliver mail less frequently and increase service charges.

McClellan does not expect the incoming administration to attempt to privatize the service. Congress would have to approve the privatization, she said.

Although many people have access to private mail services, those who rely on the Postal Service “heavily rely on it,” according to McClellan.

“So whether it’s disabled people, whether it’s older people, people in rural areas — they will be hurt the most by efforts to privatize,” McClellan said.

Privatization would mean significant benefits and pay changes to the 600,000 people employed by the Postal Service.

A strong Postal Service is a bipartisan issue, McClellan said.

“I think there are a lot of people on both sides of the aisle that would oppose efforts to privatize,” McClellan said.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has also worked to improve the state’s on-time mail delivery and minimize disruptions.

Kaine does not think efforts to privatize are likely under the second Trump administration.

“I am not currently expecting the administration to push that kind of proposal,” Kaine said.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.