The USPS and the postmaster general are getting dragged after the agency tweeted jokes amid ongoing mail delays and its controversial restructuring

• The USPS on Monday tweeted a series of jokes amid ongoing controversy over the postmaster general's cost-cutting measures.
• "We weren't going to post a joke about mail, but sometimes you just gotta send it," one of the tweets read.
• The tweets elicited a myriad of responses, from frustration over lost mail, messages of support for the postal service, and calls for the postmaster general to resign. 
• The USPS has been embroiled in a high-stakes controversy over the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's efforts to cut postal service costs, including a recently announced restructuring of the agency's leadership.
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The United States Postal Service on Monday tweeted a couple of jokes amid its ongoing struggles, eliciting mixed reactions centered around criticism of the new postmaster general's cost-cutting measures.

"We weren't going to post a joke about mail, but sometimes you just gotta send it," one tweet from the USPS sent Monday read. 

"We weren't sure if we should post a joke about mail, but sometimes you have to push the envelope," it said in a follow-up tweet.

Thousands responded to the tweets with jokes of their own, many of which poked fun at ongoing postal service delays. 

"You mean you were going to make the joke but then it just sat there not being delivered." one person responded.

"I was gonna make a joke about the mail, but you slowed it down," another tweeted in response.

Some used the viral USPS tweets, which had received many thousands of retweets as of Monday afternoon, to inquire about ongoing package delays.

"I sent a birthday gift by 3 day priority mail over a week ago," one woman tweeted. "I'd like a refund."

Some people replied to the postal service account with politically charged statements amid mounting concerns about the agency ahead of the November presidential election. The concern stems from recent cost-cutting measures instituted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who took over the role in June and was previously a top donor to President Donald Trump.

"WE LOVE YOU WE REALLY HATE DEJOY," one person said in a tweet that garnered more than 1,900 likes and 240 retweets, adding "#SAVEUSPS."

Other tweets echoed similar sentiments, with some specifically calling for DeJoy's resignation. 

On Friday, the Washington Post reported DeJoy had eliminated or reassigned 23 postal executives including two top officials overseeing the organization's day-to-day operations.

All of this is happening as some states encourage citizens to vote by mail, while Trump and his allies seek to discredit the practice by falsely claiming that it promotes voter fraud.

Earlier this summer, DeJoy prohibited postal service workers from working overtime and instituted other cost-cutting measures, like a hiring freeze, which Democrats worry will weaken the USPS's ability to handle a large number of ballots in the fall. 

The novel coronavirus has presented more challenges to the already cash-strapped federal agency, like a surge in package delivery and "crippling backlogs of letters and packages," according to Vox.

Trump has previously rejected efforts to provide the USPS with bailout funds, but in late July, the US Treasury agreed to lend the agency $10 billion.

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