What a boondoggle: the private shipping companies use the USPS to deliver to unprofitable routes as they have no such mandate. Imagine if NASA were similarly kneecapped to protect private space companies - it'd be awful.
Knowing our government you may have predicted a future reality.
NASA's been kneecapped by Congress, several presidential administrations, and itself for decades. If private space corporations like SpaceX eat NASA's lunch in the next decade or so, it'll be in spite, not because of them.
Maybe for the better - SpaceX, et al haven't incinerated any crew on the ground, blown up any crew during the ascent, nor burned up any crew in re-entry by ignoring their engineers in favor of their political appointees.