Staff Reports
The Trump administration is cooking up a wild idea that just might make the bloated government system take a long, hard look at its own reflection. The proposition involves employing the U.S. Postal Service as a backbone for conducting the national Census. In an era where taxpayer dollars evaporate faster than government promises, this move seeks to trim a hefty $40 billion expenditure. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick explained that by using the Postal Service, which already has a workforce exceeding 625,000, the government could skip hiring hundreds of thousands of temporary workers needed for a nationwide head count.
Lutnick pointed out the sheer irony in the current setup where the government splurges on rental cars, gas, and food for an army of temporary census workers every decade—an operation that costs taxpayers dearly and appears to have an ever-expanding budget. Taxpayer dollars have been flowing like a river into census-related spending, ballooning from $6.5 billion in 2000 to almost $14 billion in 2020, all exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Utilizing postal workers, who are already equipped and trained to navigate the neighborhoods, seems like a sensible and cost-effective solution.
Imagine this scenario: your friendly neighborhood postman drops by with your mail, and hey, he offers a quick count of the people living under your roof while handing over that overdue package. It’s the kind of practical, all-American solution that speaks volumes against the inefficiencies of a sprawling federal bureaucracy. Lutnick passionately described how this approach not only streamlines the census process but also saves upward of $4 billion annually—an idea that leaves little room for debate among fiscal conservatives.
The administration’s penchant for inventive problem-solving extends beyond the census as Lutnick also floated the notion of the Postal Service handling the distribution of Social Security forms for families with newborns. Why rely on outdated methods when the Postal Service can simply drop the forms at your door? It’s a classic case of thinking outside the box—about time a government entity focused on providing real consumer services instead of creating more layers of unnecessary bureaucracy.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick eyes U.S. Postal Service takeover of Census counthttps://t.co/cmKIaHoNeZ pic.twitter.com/mPnWjBGt2J
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) February 28, 2025
President Trump has made it clear that this isn’t just about saving money; it’s about reforming a sluggish postal system that has long been associated with waste and financial loss. The notion of merging the Postal Service with the Department of Commerce could lead to a more efficient institution that doesn’t just deliver mail but also contributes to streamlining government functions. This innovative thinking may be exactly what the country needs to tackle the runaway spending and inefficiencies that perpetually plague federal agencies.
In a time when government waste seems to be the only steady growth industry, the Trump administration’s fresh ideas are verging on populist economics. Whether it’s a postman doubling as a census taker or handling fresh Social Security applications, these proposed changes challenge the usual narratives and present a vision of a government that actually works better, while also leaving a little extra in taxpayers’ pockets.
