The cost of stamps has increased as a corollary of former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s much-criticized plan to overhaul U.S. Postal Service operations.

POSTAL SERVICE

A postal advocacy group is asking the U.S. Postal Service to pause a planned July 13 increase in the price of stamps until after the new postmaster general begins his tenure.

Keep US Posted, a nonprofit advocacy group that represents consumers, nonprofits and newspapers, among other entities, in a July 3 letter backed a freeze on mailing rates until Waste Management CEO and FedEx board member David Steiner takes the helm of USPS, which is slated for the day after stamps increase to 78 cents.

“We believe it is counterproductive for another postage surge to take place immediately before you undertake leadership of the Postal Service, as it will deprive you of the ability to thoroughly assess, and potentially rectify, one of the most destructive policies in [former Postmaster General Louis] DeJoy’s Delivering for America plan,” wrote former Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., the executive director of Keep US Posted.

DeJoy resigned about halfway through implementation of Delivering for America, his 10-year plan to promote the financial sustainability of USPS by slowing some delivery and increasing the price of certain products. The changes, however, did not result in savings. The postal agency lost $9.5 billion in fiscal 2024.

Stamp prices increased six times under DeJoy’s leadership, going from 58 to 73 cents.

Click here for full story from the Government Executive