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What A Day

USPS Needs Congress' Stamp Of Approval

What A Day

What A Day

News, Daily News

4.6 • 12.6K Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Last month, Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress that the U.S. Postal Service is in danger of running out of money by the end of the year. One big reason for this: there’s just less mail being sent. Between 2008 and 2025, first-class mail volume declined by more than 50 percent. And the Postal Service reported losing roughly $9 billion dollars in each of the past two fiscal years. So what needs to happen to keep the agency running, especially with the midterm elections coming up and the issue of mail-in voting sitting before the Supreme Court? Hansi Lo Wang, an NPR correspondent covering the U.S. Postal Service, joins the show to talk about the state of the Postal Service and what Congress needs to do to save the popular federal institution.

And in headlines, President Donald Trump scrambles for a solution to the war he started in Iran, the Supreme Court strikes down a ban on conversion therapy in Colorado, and a federal judge orders the Trump administration to pause construction of its $400 million White House ballroom.

Show Notes:

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's Wednesday, April 1st. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What a Day, the show that wants to

0:08.4

congratulate President Donald Trump on another astonishing achievement. Here's CNN's pollster, Harry Inton, on Tuesday.

0:15.2

So I went back and I looked at all of the presidents at this point in a presidency, all of them, all of them at this point in

0:22.2

presidency. And guess what? Donald Trump is the lowest ever, the lowest ever at this point

0:28.3

in a presidency, lower than Joe Biden, lower than Jimmy Carter, lower than Ronald Reagan.

0:35.1

This is not an April Fool's joke. Donald Trump is currently more unpopular than any U.S. president ever at this point in the presidency.

0:42.6

Great job.

1:02.2

On today's show, President Trump once again lashes out at U.S. allies in true toddler fashion.

1:08.9

And who needs a $400 million ballroom where you can have your very own presidential library inside a towering Miami skyscraper?

1:11.3

But let's start with the United States Postal Service.

1:17.6

Did you know that the Postal Service is the most popular federal agency today? It's true. In fact,

1:23.2

since 2014, Gallup has found that it has consistently been one of the highest rated federal agencies,

1:29.8

which makes the following piece of information extra tough. The AdStates Postal Service is basically broke.

1:34.9

Here's Postmaster General David Steiner speaking before a House Oversight Subcommittee in March.

1:39.0

At our current rate, we'll be out of cash in less than 12 months.

1:47.2

So in about a year from now, the Postal Service would be unable to deliver the mail if we continue the status quo.

1:48.9

How did this happen?

1:51.9

Steiner points to one phenomenon we're probably all aware of.

1:54.5

There's just less mail being sent.

2:00.1

Between 2008 and 2025, first-class mail volume declined by more than 50%. That means fewer letters, bills,

2:02.5

magazines, and invitations to weddings. The Postal Service reported losing roughly $9 billion

2:07.4

in each of the past two fiscal years. So what needs to happen to keep our letters, medication,

...

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