Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, sworn in on February 21, 2025, has unveiled an ambitious plan to overhaul government efficiency by tapping the U.S. Postal Service for tasks like the Census and Social Security form distribution. In his swearing-in remarks—featured in the video below—he argued that the current Census process wastes $40 billion every decade, hiring 625,000 temporary workers who rent cars, buy gas, and get food allowances to count every household. “What department do we already have that employs 625,000 people, has cars, gas, and goes to every household?” Lutnick asked, pointing to the USPS as the answer. His vision: let postal workers handle the Census, slashing costs and redundancy.
Beyond that, Lutnick proposed having USPS workers deliver Social Security forms—say, when a baby’s born—eliminating the need for 20,000 Social Security staff. “We just don’t need them,” he said, pitching it as a shift to “real customer service” using existing infrastructure. “Let’s use the assets of the government to make us better and save us money,” he urged.
The idea, echoed by President Trump at the ceremony (covered by PBS News), has stirred debate. Details are still unfolding, but Lutnick’s plan positions the Postal Service as a multi-purpose lifeline, leveraging its doorstep reach to cut billions in spending.
THIS IS GENIUS! Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick just announced plans to use the Postal Service to conduct the Census instead of wasting billions.
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 27, 2025
USPS workers will also replace 20,000 Social Security workers.
"We spend $40 billion every 10 years doing the census. And that… pic.twitter.com/9sbFciNKVS