SOUTH PORKMAIL 10X
Act 3 · The deal — step 12 of 12Stamp82¢
Postmaster General behind a podium with the USPS eagle backdrop

The Postmaster General finally speaks

"I agree with you. I'm not allowed to do it."

The twist nobody in the town hall expected

The man they came to argue with has been making their argument for a year.

Randy is the one who said ten times the mail means ten times the cost. Steiner has said the opposite, on the record, under oath, twice — and named the actual constraint: he cannot cut prices on his own. Rate authority sits with the Postal Regulatory Commission.

  • "We cannot cost-cut our way to prosperity."

    Senate HSGAC, June 24, 2026

  • "Long-term stability requires growth in relevance, growth in volume, and growth in value to our customers and partners."

    Senate HSGAC, June 24, 2026

  • "There are only three things any company can do to improve financial performance: sell more, adjust prices, and cut costs. We are looking at all three."

    Senate HSGAC, June 24, 2026

  • "From the historic peak volume of 213 billion pieces per year in 2006 to 109 billion pieces today, we have lost over 104 billion pieces per year in our system."

    Senate HSGAC, June 24, 2026

  • "The regulator puts pricing restrictions on us, requires we give 'work share' dollars back to our customers... they recently enacted an order that limits us to one price increase per year for our mailing services, a change that by their own math will cost us more than $700 million over five years. The regulator characterized the $700 million hit as 'small.'"

    Senate HSGAC, June 24, 2026

Statement of Postmaster General David P. Steiner, Senate HSGAC, June 24, 2026

So the ask changes. Kyle re-writes it on the spot.

"Mailers commit 10× the volume. You carry it to the Commission as density evidence. They roll 82¢ back to 55¢."

Density rate authority under 39 CFR 3030.162 exists precisely because volume per delivery point moves prices. It has only ever been used in one direction. Nothing in the rule says it has to be.

Forever stamp Jan 2019

$0.55

Forever stamp July 2026

$0.82

If the Commission agrees

back to $0.55

Send the pledge Comment on Reg E-Delivery

The SEC comment period on Regulation E-Delivery (Release 33-11430) closes September 21, 2026. It is the one place a member of the public can say, on the record, that defaulting financial mail to electronic has a postal cost and name who pays it.

Last beat

  • Stan: So the whole time, the guy running the Post Office wanted more mail, and the town kept voting to make mail cost more.
  • Kyle: Yeah. Nobody was the villain. That's what made it work.
  • Randy: Okay, but in my defense, all five motions passed unanimously.
  • Kyle: That's not a defense, Randy. That's the episode.

Start over from the cold open, or re-read the density teardown.

The rebuttal