President Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is being criticized for his testimony on international trade and economic growth today on Capitol Hill. Lutnick suggested using the 500,000+ employees of the U.S. Postal Service to do the job of the approximately 500,000 people the U.S. Census Bureau hires every ten years “to try and find out where Americans live.”
[NOTE: The USPS is an independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government. The Census Bureau, whose director is appointed by the president, operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce.]
Lutnick, the billionaire former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, told members of Congress: “Using a trusted workforce like the U.S. Post Office — with workers who already wear uniforms, already have vehicles, already know where people live, and already use electronic devices — will make the Census more efficient and more accurate.”
Using a trusted workforce like the U.S. Post Office — with workers who already wear uniforms, already have vehicles, already know where people live, and already use electronic devices — will make the Census more efficient and more accurate. pic.twitter.com/mVVxHtpBr4
— U.S. Department of Commerce (@CommerceGov) April 22, 2026
Lutnick’s logistically challenging suggestion to add more duties to postal workers and create efficiencies by using the USPS workforce to conduct the census — rather than hiring temporary workers — wasn’t the chief objection. Many self-described MAGA supporters on X disputed Lutnick’s claim that the USPS workforce is “trusted.” As one replied: “Just look how they helped mail-in voting. Have you lost your mind?”
[NOTE: One of the most valuable functions of the census is providing vital population details that dictate redistricting efforts and new political maps in each state, though new, politically motivated redistricting measures in many states — not based on census data — appear to make this function less critical.]
During the first Trump administration, the President proposed turning USPS into “a private postal operator,” and had one of his campaign donors, Louis DeJoy (CEO of a freight and logistics company), appointed as Postmaster General.
After DeJoy implemented cost-cutting measures, reports of mail delays increased nationwide. Democrats, voting-rights groups, and some postal workers warned that the changes — combined with Trump’s repeated attacks on mail-in voting — could interfere with ballot delivery during the so-called pandemic election in 2020. Several states filed lawsuits, and congressional hearings were held to examine the situation. The backlash was so great, DeJoy eventually announced a pause on certain operational changes until after the election.
[NOTE: In August 2020, a Fox 5 article began: “Democratic attorneys general in six more states and the District of Columbia sued the Postal Service on Friday over changes they say have undermined mail-in voting ahead of the November election.” These AGs included then Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is now governor and considered a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2028.]
Addressing Lutnick’s suggestion, another MAGA commenter, believing that the postal service — even under Trump ally DeJoy — willfully interfered with voting to help Democrats, replied: “USPS mail carriers threw away massive amounts of ballots. [USPS] had their truck drivers drive completed ballots across state lines, and we’re supposed to trust them now? Is the fix in again? This is absurd. Do you honestly believe they wouldn’t deliver the census to non citizens?”