Your mail could be even more snail-like starting in October, as part of approved cuts in service by the United States Postal Service.
A plan first proposed in March and approved in August will slow down mail delivery for first-class letters, flat envelopes and periodicals. The delivery benchmark will go from a one-to-three day window to a one-to-five day window.
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USPS said most first-class mail, about 70%, will still arrive in under three days. The delays will mostly affect pieces of mail that have to go farther, especially to and from Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories.
An analysis by the Washington Post found states in the Western U.S. could be the hardest hit by delays, while the Midwest and East Coast may see less of an impact from the new cuts.
You can read the 47-page USPS document on the changes here.
The cuts are part of a 10-year strategy developed by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to stabilize the USPS, which is facing $160 billion in losses over the next decade. “This is about the long-term viability of the organization under the two missions that we have that are legislated, that is deliver to every house six days a week and be self-sustaining,” DeJoy said.
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DeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO who took over the Postal Service last June, has been mired in controversy since taking over the agency.
Shortly after taking the position, DeJoy carried out a series of controversial policy changes that delayed mail before the 2020 election, fueling worry that he was sabotaging the agency on behalf of Trump, a vocal critic of mail-in voting. DeJoy has strongly disputed that claim and eventually suspended some of his changes following intense public pushback and a crush of legal challenges.
Despite the concerns, the agency said it processed and delivered at least 135 million ballots during the general election and that 99.7% of ballots were delivered to election officials within five days.
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