Joyce Remarks at Oversight Hearing on U.S. Postal Service

I would like to thank General Hull for being here today. The United States Postal Service is a mainstay for most - if not all - our constituents and communities.  Its operations are vast with 640 thousand employees working to deliver millions of pieces of mail and packages daily. Yet, the Postal Service has faced significant financial challenges over the last several decades. Except for fiscal year 2022, the Postal Service has incurred losses in each fiscal year since 2007. 

Last year, the USPS lost more than $9.5 billion. The Office of the Inspector General, or OIG, plays a critical role in “righting” the Postal Service ship.  Its more than 900 employees across the country protect the integrity and accountability of America’s postal service, its revenue and assets, and its employees. There is no better example of the OIG’s importance than with the Postal Service’s Delivering for America Plan or DFA.  The DFA is a ten-years strategic plan intended to transform the Postal Service into a self-sustaining and high performing entity. 

However, the DFA has been controversial. It has impacted mail service and delivery particularly in rural communities. The OIG has identified issues with DFA’s launch of the Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Atlanta, Georgia and with the Local Transportation Optimization initiative in Richmond, Virginia. And, according to the OIG, many of the projections on which the DFA was developed are no longer relevant. In addition to challenges with DFA, mail crime has increased significantly over the last several years. The OIG plays a critical role in investigating crimes that occur both within the Postal Service and throughout the mail system. For example, in fiscal year 2024, the OIG arrested 89 individuals involved in narcotics trafficking and helped secure 65 convictions. 

In total, the OIG’s investigative division completed just under 1,400 investigations, leading to 401 arrests, and the return of approximately $11 million to the Postal Service. Finally, in conducting many of its audits and investigations, the OIG has embraced the use of technology. I look forward to learning more about how the OIG leverages technology, including the use of AI, to conduct its work.

Again, I want to thank General Hull for being here. I now recognize the Ranking Member.