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Postmaster General Paints Dire Financial Picture; USPS Watchers React

Is it really true that the U.S. Postal Service could run out of money in the next 12 months? In theory the answer is yes; in realistic terms the answer is no. But the system’s problems are genuine, and without serious intervention, they could prove insurmountable.

Thursday, April 09, 2026

“I've never had a strategic plan where they say so many options are not available to you. You have losing routes, can't cut them. You have losing post offices, can’t cut them. You have retirement benefits that only earn T-bill rates. You can’t invest it in stocks.

“There’s just so many, so many strings. I tell people that this is like Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver was the giant in the land of the small, and one small person could not take him down, but they put so many strings on him that they were able to hold down the giant Gulliver. And that’s what's happening here.”

—Postmaster General David Steiner in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Operations, March 17, 2026


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About Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry is a journalist and an educator who has covered the graphic communications industry since 1984. The author of many hundreds of articles on business trends and technological developments in graphic communications, he has been published in most of the leading trade media in the field. He also has taught graphic communications as an adjunct lecturer for New York University and New York City College of Technology. The holder of numerous awards for industry service and education, Henry is currently the managing director of Liberty or Death Communications, a content consultancy.

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Postmaster General Paints Dire Financial Picture; USPS Watchers React

Postmaster General Paints Dire Financial Picture; USPS Watchers React

Is it really true that the U.S. Postal Service could run out of money in the next 12 months? In theory the answer is yes; in realistic terms the answer is no. But the system’s problems are genuine, and without serious intervention, they could prove insurmountable. Read More