People mailing packages through the U.S. Postal Service will pay more beginning this week, as the agency temporarily raises shipping prices amid rising fuel costs.

USPS announced Wednesday, March 26, that it will increase the cost of shipping packages by 8% for a limited time to “better align its costs of transportation with the market,” according to a news release.

The increase applies to the following products:

• Priority Mail Express
• Priority Mail
• USPS Ground Advantage
• Parcel Select

First‑class mail stamps and other USPS products are not affected. The price changes took effect at midnight Thursday, March 26.

Gas Prices on the Rise

The changes in USPS’s pricing come as oil, gasoline and diesel prices have shot up since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

As of Tuesday, March 24, the national average price for gasoline was $3.98 a gallon, up 10 cents in a week and nearly a dollar higher than a month earlier, according to AAA.

Will USPS Run Out of Money?

USPS has warned it could run out of cash by 2027 without congressional action.

Postmaster General David Steiner, who took office in July 2025, told Reuters and the Associated Press earlier this month that the agency could struggle to pay vendors and employees if Congress does not lift its $15 billion statutory debt limit.

“We are out of cash in 12 months if we don’t do anything different,” Steiner told Reuters.

USPS Debates Raising Prices of Stamps

Steiner told lawmakers on March 17 that the price of a first‑class stamp could increase by 12 to 17 cents, potentially raising the cost from 78 cents to between 90 and 95 cents per stamp. He said the increase “would largely solve our controllable loss.”

No stamp increase has been approved, and customers can still buy a sheet of 20 stamps for $15.60 at USPS locations and online.

Trump Has Pushed to Revamp USPS

Last year, President Donald Trump said he was considering merging the USPS, currently an independent agency, into the Commerce Department, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. The agency would then be under the executive branch’s authority.

“We want to have a post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money. And we’re thinking about doing that,” Trump said at the time.

Millions Rely on USPS

The U.S. Postal Service delivers mail and packages to millions of addresses nationwide, including rural areas that private carriers often do not serve, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. By law, USPS is required to provide “universal postal service,” meaning delivery to every address in the country six days a week − a mandate the GAO says is costly.

USPS also plays a key role in public health and elections. A 2020 study found the agency delivered about 1.2 billion prescriptions in 2019, an essential service for communities that rely solely on USPS. During the 2024 election cycle, USPS processed more than 99 million ballots, according to a USPS news release.

President Trump voted by mail in a 2026 Florida special election, according to USA TODAY reporting, despite previously calling mail‑in voting “corrupt” and claiming without evidence that it leads to widespread voter fraud. Voting‑rights advocates warn such claims could undermine public confidence in the postal service.

Contributing: USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes, Kinsey Crowley and Trevor Hughes; Reuters

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers popular toys, scientific studies, natural disasters, holidays, and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sending a package? USPS just raised prices by 8%

Reporting by Julia Gomez and Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect