Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has proposed that United States Postal Service (USPS) workers take on the responsibility of conducting the national census.
Why It Matters
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has overseen sweeping reforms to the federal government. He said earlier this month that Lutnick was going to look at the USPS, and has previously expressed interest in privatizing the agency.
What To Know
Lutnick has suggested that USPS workers take on some of the responsibility for conducting the census, including going to houses across America to “count the people.” At present, the census, which is taken every 10 years and is next due in 2030, is conducted by the dedicated U.S. Census Bureau. It sends invitations to every household to complete the census by phone, online, or by mail.
“We spend $40 billion every 10 years doing the census. And that means we hire 625,000 people. And they go, and they rent cars and gas, and you pay them food … They go to every household and count the people,” Lutnick said in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, February 26.
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“What department do we already have that already employs 625,000 people? It’s got cars, already has gas, and goes to every household,” Lutnick said, referring to the USPS. “Let’s use the assets of the government to make us better and save us money.”
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau and the USPS for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
“We want to have a post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money,” Trump said on February 21. “We’re thinking about doing that. And it’ll be a form of a merger, but it’ll remain the Postal Service, and I think it’ll operate a lot better.”
It is true that the USPS has been losing money—it reported a $9.5 billion loss in the fiscal year ending in September 2024, compared to a net loss of $6.5 billion in the fiscal year prior.
In late 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability reported that the financial condition of USPS “remains poor.” It told outgoing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that he must “implement cost-effective measures to achieve financial self-sufficiency.” USPS implemented a 10-year plan to stabilize its finances in 2021.
According to a report by NBC News, Lutnick discussed plans to dissolve USPS leadership and fold the agency into the Department of Commerce with the president prior to his inauguration in December. The Census Bureau is already part of the Commerce Department.
The USPS is older than the United States itself, having been founded in 1775. It became a financially self-sustaining government agency in 1970 and, according to the Pew Research Center, is one of the most well-liked federal agencies.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on February 21: “He’s going to look at it. He’s got a great business instinct, which is what we need, and he’ll be looking at it. And we think we can turn it around, but it’s—it’s the Postal Service. We’re losing so much money with the Postal Service, and we don’t want to lose that kind of money. So the secretary and some others that have talent, that kind of talent, we’ll be looking at it.”
What Happens Next
Any effort to privatize the USPS or move it into an executive branch department will require authorization from Congress.
