-
The need for a postal act stemmed out of various business interests that wanted a better delivery solution for their products (newspapers) as early as 1774, just before the American War of Independence. To avoid creating laws until the country was fully engaged in revolution, the Continental Congress waited until after specific, pivotal battles before it began passing government-creating laws, including the Postal Act, which was the predecessor to the Postal Service Act.
Technically, the Continental Congress did not declare full independence until July 26, 1775. However, by that time Benjamin Franklin was serving as the country's first postmaster, among other duties. -
The Postal Service Act was enacted by the first U.S. President, George Washington, in 1792, only a few years after the War of Independence. The Postal Service Act gave the position and the program broader function and powers, and legitimized the entire function under federal law.
Under the law, the Postmaster General position later became a cabinet position under President Andrew Jackson, resulting in direct connection to the President rather than communicating through the President's staff. - The Postal Service Act remained a political appointment position for approximately 179 years before it was revised and replaced by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1971. Prior to the 1971 law change, U.S. presidents could choose whom they wanted in the position. After the revision, the leadership of the postal service was to be determined by a board of governors, making policy change and direction via committee. The Postal Reorganization Act was signed by President Nixon in August 1970 and implemented July 1, 1971.
-
By 2001, the federal government had concluded that the Post Office system was no longer meeting its mission or need. The warning that came out of control agencies reviewing the Post Office's performance was so strong, President George W. Bush tasked a commission the next year to develop a reform plan to fix the problem.
The President's Commission on the Postal Service presented its work in a report titled "Embracing the Future: Making the Tough Choices to Preserve Universal Mail Service." The conclusion spelled that the U.S. Post Office would need to continue as a government function. It also needed to maintain a level of universal affordability and accessibility for the general public. This generated the drafting of the next postal legislation. - At the end of 2006, a Congressional vote approved the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. In response to the needs identified in 2002 by the President's Commission, the act replaced the previous iterations of the Postal Service Act and focused the U.S. Postal Service on being a competitive monopoly. Much emphasis was placed on providing management flexibility to choose service rate levels and costs charged. By doing this, Congress hoped the latest act would allow the Postal Service to function freely in the market.
- While the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act did help, the U.S. Postal Service is again in financial trouble as of 2009. It is now requesting permission to cut back weekend services and more in an effort to cut its operating deficit. Given the mission to reach everyone with affordability and access, it is very likely another Postal Act will again be passed to redesign the U.S. Postal Service.
