Postal worker Mark Austin II stood with his family among protesters wearing red shirts emblazoned with “FIGHT LIKE HELL,” demonstrating support for the United States Postal Service he credits with providing for his family’s livelihood.

Austin joined fellow USPS workers in southeast Las Vegas on Sunday, part of nationwide demonstrations against potential service disruptions. 

President Donald Trump called the postal service “a tremendous loser for this country” and suggested either merging it with the Department of Commerce or privatizing it as possible solutions.

“I wouldn’t want to work for any other company this long,” said Austin, who has been with USPS for 19 years. “And I do take pride in what I do every day. It gives me a sense of purpose.”

Trump touts that his administration can “implement positive changes while maintaining similar operations,” of the postal service.

“This could involve either merging the service or reassigning our skilled personnel from other departments,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks triggered protests from postal workers, with the American Postal Workers union — representing over 200,000 USPS employees — reviving their “US Mail Not for Sale” campaign. 

The organization previously mobilized around this message during Trump’s first term when he similarly proposed substantial changes to the service.

Republicans have sounded alarm bells regarding the postal service, questioning its effectiveness and subjecting the agency to conspiracies about mail-ballots during the 2020 presidential election. Multiple lawsuits suggesting former President Joe Biden’s win over Trump were thrown out; no fraud was verified.

Trump’s interest in changing USPS’ operations comes as the president’s administration has fired — and been court-ordered to rehire — thousands of federal employees to bring uncertainty for one of the nation’s longest institutions. 

Loretta Brodeur, the executive vice president in the National Association of Letter Carriers Local 2502, said privatizing the postal service would have stark effects for Nevadans in rural counties. A 2022 report from USPS’ Office of the Inspector General found that people in rural areas accounted for 16% of the country’s population, but 57% of post offices were in those regions. 

Sunday’s rally was attended by Democrats including Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley, and Nevada Reps. Susie Lee and Dina Titus, who all said they wanted to show up for the postal workers in the state.

“Whether you’re a senior waiting for medication, a veteran, anyone waiting for their Social Security checks — it’s such an important institution in our country,” Lee told the Sun. “And make no mistake, this isn’t about anything more than turning around and giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.”

Democrats have been arguing Trump’s attempts to slash federal workforce and funding for previously Congress-approved programs are attempts to bolster already-wealthy individuals, focusing much of their attention on billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, who has been tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency, has been criticized by the party on the basis that he is overreaching due to being  unelected and unconfirmed by the Senate — a sentiment Titus echoed Sunday.

“Under this president, nothing is sacred,” Titus said. “He ascended musk and his little DOGE-ites to cut all government services, and the post office is part of that.”

Titus added Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of USPS Louis DeJoy was “right in line” with Trump and Musk. DeJoy, who has been serving in his role since June 2020, wrote a letter to congressional leaders earlier this month detailing his agreement with DOGE.  

Titus, alongside Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., is a cosponsor of House Resolution 70, which would express the lower chamber’s commitment to ensuring USPS remains free of privatization and remains an independent establishment of the federal government. 

The resolution introduced in late January has nearly 170 sponsors, including eight Republicans, but hasn’t made it out of committee. 

For Anita Carrasco, it’s hard not to think about her time with USPS without getting emotional. 

“I worked for the post office for 30 years, and I’ve been retired for 10,” Carrasco said, “And we do have the best service in the world.”

Brodeur said the daily interactions between USPS workers and delivery recipients would be one of the greatest losses if the service faced privatization or major changes. Through her role as the “eyes and ears of the neighborhood,” she said she attended parties in people’s homes, attended funerals and created family-like bonds. 

“For the elderly, we are some of the only people they see — they rely on us. My route, before I retired, was all retirees and the vast majority of them did not drive.” Brodeur said. “That’s an important thing that would be missing if it was privatized, because you’re not going to have that personal service. We’re a service, we’re not a business.”