Why doesn't the USPS forward government mail when you move?

Question

So I recently moved across town. I set up mail forwarding because I figured it'd be convenient, and this way my old roommates wouldn't lose any important mail coming my way. Of course, I just found out that the USPS doesn't forward any important mail (aka mail from the government).... So what's the point? More importantly - WHY don't they forward government mail?

Answer 1

The PO doesn't chose what is important or not, it's the sender.

A lot of times a letter that has "return service requested" on it will be returned with your new address and the sender will re-addredd it and send it in.

Answer 2

They do not forward any mail that is marked "Do not forward". Many pieces of mail sent by government agencies (particularly checks) are marked as such. This is a measure to prevent fraud.