Senator Markey Calls for Reversal of USPS Postage Rate Hike to Cover Trump-Induced Gasoline Cost Increase, Urges Transition to Electric Fleet

Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (March 30, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner, objecting to the United States Postal Service's (USPS) decision to raise postage rates in response to surging gasoline prices due to Trump's illegal war on Iran. The Trump administration's illegal war against Iran has contributed to instability in global energy markets, including disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for oil shipments. Consequently, gasoline prices in the United States have risen sharply, increasing operating costs for fuel-dependent entities such as USPS.

In the letter, Senator Markey wrote, "The Postal Service's request for a transportation-related, time-limited price increase is directly tied to these rising fuel costs. In effect, USPS is now asking the public to absorb the costs of both Trump-induced geopolitical instability and Trump administration domestic policy decisions favoring the fossil fuel industry, which increased exposure to that instability."

Senator Markey continued, "A more robustly electrified USPS fleet would have materially reduced this exposure. Had the Postal Service moved more aggressively to deploy electric vehicles consistent with Congress's directive in the IRA, it could have mitigated-if not avoided-the need to seek postage rate increases driven by fuel price spikes. Accordingly, I urge the Postal Service to withdraw its requested rate increase and to accelerate the electrification of its delivery fleet at the fastest feasible pace."

For years, Trump and Republicans have undermined electric vehicles and other clean energy technologies while doubling down on fossil fuel dependence, slowing the very transition that would have insulated USPS from fuel price volatility. Now, that hostility to electrification has collided with the attack on Iran to produce exactly the kind of price shock that a modernized, electric postal fleet could have mitigated. The American people should not be forced to pay higher postage rates because of this administration's misguided and short-sighted policy choices.

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