Washington, D.C. – A statement was issued by the White House Press Secretary regarding President Trump’s receipt of a State Department report pursuant to an August 23rd Presidential Memorandum (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-38/). In light of this, Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Taub reiterates his previously issued statement of August 23rd.

“The anticompetitive nature of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has concerned the United States Government since the Reagan Administration. The increasingly competitive and commercial nature of the market has exacerbated these long-standing distortions. Yet, little has changed at the UPU. The UPU continues to promulgate agreements that require posts to undercharge for delivery of inbound mail, to insulate postal shipments from full application of national customs laws, and to promote a different legal regime for postal operators and competing private carriers. President Trump’s concurrence today with the State Department recommendation to adopt self-declared rates for terminal dues as soon as practical, and no later than January 1, 2020, is a tremendous step towards finally addressing these distortions on behalf of our fellow Americans – particularly U.S. merchants, U.S. mailers, and U.S. private-sector carriers who are trying to compete fairly in these global markets.