Tag: usps

Trump Admin Wins HUGE Court Battle Over Mail-In Ballot Rule that Requires States Submit Voter Lists and Ballot Barcodes Before Postal Service Will Deliver Federal Ballots

Here is some good news out of the courts.

The Daily Signal is reporting that the Trump administration and the US Postal Service have won a key court fight over mail-in ballot oversight.

For years, Republicans have been demanding answers on how mail-in ballots are handled, tracked, and counted in this country. And for years, the DC establishment and the failed mainstream media told us there was nothing to see here.

Now, a court has handed the Trump administration and the USPS a victory on ballot oversight. This is horrible news for Democrats, who continue to obstruct and block any move by President Trump to secure our elections. Why is that?

The ruling says that states must submit their mail-voter lists at least , and every ballot envelope must carry a uniquely serialized barcode so each ballot is tracked outbound and returned.

Postmaster General David Steiner was asked point-blank whether USPS would carry a state’s ballots without the list: “ , .”

M.A. Rothman reported on this latest ruling.

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Judge Blocks USPS Ballot Rule Tied To Trump’s Election Integrity Order

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing a Trump administration proposal to boost election integrity by enhancing ballot tracking and verification, finding it conflicted with a 2021 settlement requiring the agency to prioritize the timely delivery of election mail.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled on July 1 that USPS could not move forward with the proposed rule, which would have required states using the mail for federal absentee and mail-in voting to adopt standardized ballot envelopes with trackable barcodes and provide USPS with voter participation lists to make ballot verification easier. Ballot mailings that failed to comply would have been rejected.

One day after the proposed rule was published in early June, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) returned to court in a long-running lawsuit originally filed during the 2020 election, asking Sullivan to enforce a 2021 settlement that requires USPS to prioritize the monitoring and timely delivery of election mail through the 2028 election cycle.

The proposed rule stems from President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing USPS to develop new standards for handling federal ballot mail as part of a broader thrust to bolster election integrity.

The Justice Department, which represented USPS in the case, did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

Rule Boosts Election Integrity, DOJ Says

In opposing the NAACP’s motion, the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued in a court brief that the proposed rule was designed to improve—not hinder—the handling of election mail.

Attorneys representing the Trump administration wrote that requiring standardized Election Mail logos and Intelligent Mail barcodes would make ballots easier to identify throughout the postal network. They argued this would allow USPS to better monitor the movement of mail-in ballots and help implement the “extraordinary measures” USPS has traditionally used to expedite election mail before federal elections.

“Such requirements promote the ’monitoring and timely delivery of Election Mail’; they do not frustrate it,” they wrote in the brief. “And while the Postal Service has proposed requiring state and local election officials to identify the names and addresses of the persons to whom they send ballots and to provide the barcodes for the ballot envelopes, requiring this information—which officials already, by definition, have—would not compromise the lawful delivery of any mail.”

The administration stated in the proposal that the new rule would strengthen election integrity by creating a uniform ballot-tracking system while leaving decisions about voter eligibility entirely to the states.

Election officials—not USPS—would determine who is eligible to vote by mail and would submit lists of voters receiving mail ballots, together with unique barcode information, through a federal portal. The Postal Service would use that information only to verify ballot mailings and improve tracking, not to decide who could vote.

“State and local election officials would maintain full control over who they send ballots to,” government attorneys said in the brief.

“There are no plausible concerns, certainly at this stage, that the Proposed Rule would negatively impact USPS’s ability to timely and reliably deliver Election Mail. Rather, this provision would, again, assist USPS in better being able to track (and thus deliver) such important mail.”

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Postmaster General Tells Congress USPS WILL NOT DELIVER Mail-In Ballots to States That Refuse to Comply with President Trump’s Election Integrity Executive Order

The Radical Left just got hit with another major blow to their favorite election fraud vehicle.

During testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed that the United States Postal Service will refuse to deliver mail-in and absentee ballots in any state that fails to comply with President Trump’s March 31, 2026 Executive Order on election integrity.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, President Trump signed the landmark “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections” executive order directing the Postmaster General to establish strict new rules for election mail.

The order requires states to submit detailed manifests, including voter names, addresses, and unique barcode identifiers, at least 60 days before federal elections so USPS can verify eligibility and track ballots.

States that refuse to hand over the lists or follow the new security standards (special “Official Election Mail” envelopes with intelligent mail barcodes) will simply not have their ballots delivered by the Postal Service.

Steiner made it crystal clear under questioning from Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI):

“If a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this proposed rule?”

Steiner: “Under our proposed regulation, no.”

He added that USPS would inform non-compliant states: “We would tell the state that we need the manifest.”

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Non-Domiciled CDLs Targeted in a New USPS Policy

USPS Plans to Limit Certain Non-Domiciled CDLs in Contract Operations

The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to tighten safety rules for trucking companies that move mail and freight under contract with the agency. USPS says it plans to phase out the use of drivers with non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses (CDLs) who have not gone through screening by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The decision connects to wider federal efforts to strengthen roadway safety. It follows a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) interim rule called “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses.” The DOT rule is meant to improve oversight and documentation for drivers who fall under this licensing category.

What This Means for Trucking Safety

Drivers with non-domiciled CDLs are legally allowed to operate commercial vehicles in the United States but are not necessarily U.S. citizens or permanent residents. These licenses have received more federal attention recently due to concerns about how some states handled verification and paperwork.

USPS stated that reducing the number of unvetted drivers with non-domiciled CDLs in its contracted network may support stronger safety control. The agency said extending additional screening could improve accountability. Only drivers who pass Postal Inspection Service checks would be permitted to continue driving under this new plan.

USPS has not yet announced when this policy may begin. The agency says it plans to work with trucking contractors on a gradual rollout. USPS also did not say how many drivers could be affected or whether the shift could create staffing concerns.

Federal Safety Efforts Connected to Non-Domiciled CDLs

Federal officials have been reviewing how non-domiciled CDLs are issued across the nation. The DOT rule aims to reduce fraud risk and strengthen confidence in CDL documentation systems. Federal leaders have suggested that better control may support safer highways.

USPS said its move is meant to align with these federal safety goals. The agency hopes the added oversight of non-domiciled CDLs may help reduce risk within its transportation network.

The Postal Service relies heavily on highway trucking. According to USPS, about 55,000 truck loads move each day, totaling close to 2 billion miles annually. Due to that scale, even moderate policy adjustments can create effects across many regions and fleets.

Contracted Carriers May Need to Prepare for New Rules

Trucking companies that haul for USPS may need to review records and driver files connected to non-domiciled CDLs when the change takes effect. Carriers with affected drivers may face added screening steps to keep those drivers on postal routes.

USPS has not yet stated whether trucking companies will be required to remove unvetted drivers on their own or if the agency will manage the process directly. It is also not yet clear whether any exceptions may exist.

The impact may vary depending on how many drivers with non-domiciled CDLs operate in different regions. Some areas may see little effect. Others may see changes in driver availability. USPS has stated that the intention is focused on safety rather than reducing service.

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U.S. Postal Service seeks 8% fuel surcharge for package deliveries as Iran war raises oil prices

The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday said it is seeking to impose a temporary 8% fuel surcharge for package and express mail deliveries to deal with rising transportation costs, which include higher oil prices as a result of the Iran war.

If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the surcharge would take effect April 26 and remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027, the Postal Service said in a notice on its website.

The 8% surcharge would apply to postage on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select products. First-class stamps and other mail services would not be affected.

Oil prices have jumped more than 40% since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

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USPS Postmarks Now Stamped 1-2 Days After USPS Takes Possession. 47% Of Population Affected, Mostly Republican Areas (Ballots, Taxes, Legal Docs)

USPS quietly changed when postmarks are applied to mail. It’s part of their overall “Delivering for America” plan. Instead of same day, your 1st class and similar mail might now get the postmark stamp 1 to 2 days after they took possession of the mail piece. If you want to ensure a same-day postmark, USPS recommends going to a retail counter at any USPS post office.

The processing and distribution centers that apply postmarks are staying the same. It’s the transportation time and movement methods of the mail that have changed. It appears this change will predominantly affect rural areas, which typically vote Republican. Voters should now mail ballots at least 2 days earlier than in any previous election.

A postmark is the dated imprint over a stamp to cancel its use. It serves an internal USPS function. However, for over 7 decades, postmarks have been used by administrators as evidence that a deadline was met. Postmarks have been critical for legal forms, IRS tax filings, mail-in ballots, and many other purposes.

Generally, postmarks are applied at high speeds at USPS Processing & Distribution Centers (P&DC). These are massive facilities that cover specific “regions” of the country. They have dozens of mail-processing machines, dozens of loading docks for tractor-trailers, and so on. Our United States Postal Service uses a spoke-and-hub delivery model. The local Post Offices feed mail to and from the closest hub, often called the P&DC.

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Bronx post office cannot safely deliver packages, USPS says, as customers wait “two and a half hours for a stamp!”

People in the Bronx are complaining about painfully long wait times at their local post office as lines sometimes go out the door. 

The United States Postal Service says delays at the Morrisania post office are due to “a significant number of packages” that could not safely be left at homes.

On Thursday, CBS News New York saw multiple people changing their minds and deciding not to even go inside once they saw the line.   

“Two and a half hours for a stamp!”

Residents said a trip to the East 167th Street post office is anything but a quick errand these days, with some complaining about waiting five hours for a package and only one or two clerks helping out. 

“I have to wait two and a half hours for a stamp! It’s ridiculous,” Raymond Cioffi said. 

“It’s probably the worst post office I have been in,” businessowner Frank Farrell said. “If this was in a different zip code, it wouldn’t be like this.”   

Video shows chaos there last week, when signs said packages could not be picked up until the afternoon and some people said their packages were lost. 

“Inside, it’s all messed up,” Alberto Virs said. 

“I don’t want to come back here ever again,” Andres Lopez said. 

Another resident shared a video of when police were called after frustrated customers got heated over the long wait.  

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Waste of the Day: Postal Service’s Record Payroll Leads to Losses

Nearly 20,000 people made $100,000 or more.

The Post Office brought in $80.5 billion in operating revenue, $916 million more than 2024. The boost was attributed to “strategic price increases” in postage costs, especially first-class mail.

Combined with $89.8 billion in expenses, the Postal Service had a $9 billion net loss. That was better than the $9.5 billion the Postal Service lost in 2024, which makes it appear as if its business model is improving. However, those figures include expenses and revenues that Postal Service management has no control over. Salaries, pensions, workers’ compensation, rent and more are mandated by Congress. Interest rates affect investment income.

When looking at only the spending that’s planned directly by Postal Service management, the Post Office had a “controllable loss” of $2.7 billion in 2025. That was the worst since 2020. Controllable loss was only $1.8 billion in 2024.

Over the next 10 years, the Postal Service plans to spend $20 billion on deferred investment and maintenance to upgrade and repair buildings and technology.

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

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DOJ: Ban on mailing concealable firearms unconstitutional, can’t be enforced

A nearly 100-year-old federal ban on mailing handguns through the U.S. Postal Service is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced, according to an opinion released Thursday by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The 15-page opinion concluded that a 1927 law, which made it illegal to use the Postal Service to mail concealable firearms, such as pistols and revolvers, infringes on the Second Amendment.

“Section 1715 makes it difficult to travel with arms for lawful purposes, including self-defense, target shooting, and hunting,” wrote T. Elliot Gaiser, the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.

“The statute also imposes significant barriers to shipping constitutionally protected firearms as articles of commerce, which interferes with citizens’ incidental rights to acquire and maintain arms,” the opinion continued.

Postal Service policy mandates that nonmailable firearms found in the mail stream “must be immediately reported to the United States Postal Inspection Service,” and investigations are then referred to the relevant U.S. attorney’s office for prosecution.

The agency categorizes “pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on a person,” including short-barreled shotguns and rifles, as handguns. It also notes that there are no restrictions on mailing rifles and shotguns between licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers.

Major private carriers, including UPS and FedEx, also restrict the shipping of firearms to only licensed dealers, which the opinion argued effectively creates a “complete ban” for unlicensed people.

The opinion acknowledged some limitations, finding that the law was only unconstitutional related to handguns but still applied to undetectable firearms, such as pen guns.

It also found that the Postal Service should not be required to carry ammunition or gunpowder, despite those being constitutionally protected, because the existing restriction on explosives “serves legitimate postal needs to prevent injury to postal employees and property.”

Still, the DOJ determined the restrictions on handguns are unenforceable because such firearms “fall within the core of the ‘arms’ protected by the Second Amendment.”

“Consequently, so long as Congress chooses to run a parcel service, the Second Amendment precludes it from refusing to ship constitutionally protected firearms to and from law-abiding citizens, even if they are not licensed manufacturers or dealers,” the opinion stated.

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The Postal Service’s ‘Next Generation’ Electric Delivery Vehicles Cost $22,000 More Than Other Electric Vans

In 2014, the United States Postal Service (USPS) began replacing its fleet of delivery vehicles. In the almost 12 years since, only about 6 percent of its 51,500 custom-built delivery vehicles have been delivered. The Postal Service says the rollout will last at least two more years.

The signature USPS delivery truck is the Grumman Life Long Vehicle (LLV), which first entered service in 1986. Designed to last over 20 years, some have now been in service for twice as long, and don’t include many modern amenities, like air conditioning and airbags. Maintaining the LLVs beyond their best-by date involved reverse-engineering the 130,000-strong fleet for discontinued parts, according to The Washington Post. In 2014, the USPS began its $9.6 billion fleet upgrade by announcing the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) program.

Oshkosh Defense, which produces rather mean-looking tactical vehicles for the American military (and has never before produced a delivery van), was awarded a multibillion-dollar contract in February 2021 to produce the NGDV for the Postal Service over 10 years. The Post details the production nightmare that ensued. After repeated delays, setbacks, and quadrupling the minimum number of electric NGDVs, thanks to a generous $3 billion subsidy from the Inflation Reduction Act, Oshkosh had only delivered 612 of 35,000 e-NGDVs by November 2025, and only 2,600 of the 16,500 internal combustion engine NGDVs.

The Postal Service agreed to pay Oshkosh $77,692 per e-NGDV and $54,584 per NGDV in March 2023. To put these numbers in context, FedEx’s fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans is considerably cheaper, costing $50,830 for the baseline 2026 Sprinter and $61,180 for the 2026 eSprinter. (The Sprinter debuted in 1995 and the eSprinter rolled out in 2019, two years before the USPS awarded its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle contract to Oshkosh.)

Paying almost $80,000 per vehicle should have rung alarm bells, but what makes this situation worse is that the USPS knows cheaper alternatives exist. 21,000 of the Postal Service’s new fleet are commercial off-the-shelf vans like the Ford E-Transit (whose 2026 model starts at $54,855). In 2023, there were nearly 40,000 Mercedes-Benz Metris vans (which start at $41,495) in its fleet. It’s unclear why the agency decided to get bogged down with Oshkosh at all. Whatever the reasons may be, price is not one of them.

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