PRC Chairman Responds to Trump Memorandum on Universal Postal Union

Presidential Memorandum on Universal Postal Union Chairman Robert Taub’s Statement

Washington, DC – On August 23, 2018, President Donald J. Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-secretary-state-secretary-treasury-secretary-homeland-security-postmaster-general-chairman-postal-regulatory-commission/) detailing his direction to modernizing the monetary reimbursement model for the delivery of goods through the international postal system and enhancing the security and safety of international mail. The memorandum was addressed to the Secretaries of State, the Treasury, and Homeland Security, as well as the Postmaster General and the Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission. The following is a statement from Commission Chairman Robert G. Taub: “The anticompetitive nature of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has concerned the United States Government since the Reagan Administration. The increasingly competitive and commercial nature of the market has exacerbated these long-standing distortions. Yet, little has changed at the UPU. The UPU continues to promulgate agreements that require posts to undercharge for delivery of inbound mail, to insulate postal shipments from full application of national customs laws, and to promote a different legal regime for postal operators and competing private carriers. President Trump’s Memorandum represents an enormous leap forward to finally addressing these problems on behalf of our fellow Americans – particularly U.S. merchants, U.S. mailers, and U.S. private-sector carriers who are trying to compete fairly in these global markets.”