Trump says commerce secretary "going to look at" potential merging of U.S. Postal Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is going to look at the department's potential takeover of the U.S. Postal Service.

Trump made the remarks when answering a question at the White House Oval Office.

U.S. media previously reported that the Trump administration is planning to take over the mail agency.

Trump is "preparing to dissolve the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service and absorb the independent mail agency into his administration, potentially throwing the 250-year-old mail provider and trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions into turmoil," The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Trump was expected to issue an executive order as soon as this week to fire the members of the Postal Service's governing board and place the agency under the control of the Commerce Department, the report cited people familiar with the plans as saying.

"Two billionaires are following through on their plot, developed at Mar A Lago, to put tax cuts for the rich ahead of everyday Americans who rely on the Postal Service. Millions of Americans rely on USPS every day to deliver mail, medications, ballots, and so much more," Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee, said on social media platform X.

During Trump's first term, he had a tense relationship with the U.S. Postal Service.

He often criticized the agency for being inefficient and losing money. During the 2020 election, Trump became vocal about his opposition to mail-in voting, citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud, and the successful delivery of mail-in ballots worsened Trump's opinion of the agency.