# USPS: Non-Feds Getting Feds' Benefits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286 "2003-08-28T21:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286/1 "2003-08-28T21:23:07Z")
How is it permitted that the United States Postal Service (USPS) which claims to NOT be part of the Federal Government, gets all the perks of the Federal Government??? It seems their Feds when its convenient to be so! Also, why are Post Offices listed under US Government in the “Blue Pages” of the phone book??? Hmm! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286/2 "2003-08-28T21:42:54Z")
I don’t know where you got the idea that USPS “claims to not be part of the Federal Government.” The USPS is a corporation wholly owned by the government. They are not funed by taxes (though Congress has been known to give them loans from time to time.) But they are most certainly part of the government. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286/3 "2003-08-28T22:44:32Z")
friedo: Being owned by the government is not being part of the government. Jinx: What perks are you talking about? How about some examples? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286/4 "2003-08-29T00:31:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > friedo: Being owned by the government is not being part of the government. Jeezus. > [@](#): > > The Post Office Department was transformed into the United States Postal Service, **an independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States.** The mission of the Postal Service remained the same, as stated in Title 39 of the U.S. Code: “The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.” From [here](http://www.usps.com/history/his3.htm#REORG). ---
**Author:** ![verbenabeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@verbenabeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/verbenabeast)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286/5 "2003-08-29T04:01:03Z")
Welp… [here](http://www.usps.com/communications/organization/postalfacts.htm) we see that “The U.S. Postal Service is perhaps the most visible and personal of all federal services.” [here](http://www.usps.com/history/his3.htm#SERVICE) we see that although the Postal Service recieves “Operational authority vested in a Board of Governors and Postal Service executive management, rather than in Congress”, the Board of Governors are all Presidential appointees. [here](http://www.treas.gov/offices/domestic-finance/usps/) is a copy of the President’s Commission on the United States Postal Service report _to_ the President and the Office of Domestic Finance. [here](http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/missmore.htm) we see that the Postal Inspection service is a “federal law enforcement agency”… empowered by Congress. Also "Postal Inspectors are federal law enforcement officers who carry firearms, make arrests and serve federal search warrants and subpoenas. " So… here we have an entity led by Presidential appointees, that reports to the President, and The Office of Domestic Finance (Treasury Department)… and has employees empowed to serve federal warrants and subpoenas… Don’t sound very “Non-Fed” to me… ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-non-feds-getting-feds-benefits/198286/6 "2003-08-29T04:06:43Z")
A buddy of mine is a postal employee and his explanation was that the the postal service predated the creation of the “agency system” and did not easily fit into what we now see as normal govt supervisory structures. They are just as much federal employees as any other.