The Postal Regulatory Commission has requested information from the USPS about the changes made to date. Image: photosince/Shutterstock.com
A House committee and postal regulators are keeping up scrutiny of the Postal Service’s “Delivering for America” plan even though the USPS has generally paused further changes to its processing and delivery network under that program at least until January.
The House Appropriations Committee has said it is “is deeply concerned about the potential negative impacts on mail service to the American people, customer satisfaction, and cost overruns.”
The first actions under that plan “have already encountered setbacks, such as reduced mail service performance and unexpected cost overruns,” says a report on the general government spending bill, which the panel recently approved.
“The Committee is concerned with the USPS’s aggressive approach to consolidating processing and distribution centers into local processing centers and the notification and justification provided to customers and postal workers,” it says, encouraging the USPS to halt any further changes where certain performance standards have not been met.
Separately, the Postal Regulatory Commission has requested information from the USPS about the changes made to date and about those continuing in some locations despite the general pause ordered last month in response to concerns from the commission, Congress and postal unions.
“Emerging circumstances and information have reinforced the urgency and importance of understanding the impacts and regulatory implications of DFA before the Postal Service makes further changes that impact service,” it said. “National service performance in 2024 has been at historic lows,” with first class mail for example not meeting its on-time delivery goal since the first week of the fiscal year.
The House report meanwhile further says the committee “continues to remain very concerned about mail theft and violence against mail carriers and other postal employees. The Committee urges the Postal Service to remove restrictions implemented in 2020 preventing Postal Police Officers from fully executing their duty to ensure public safety and mail security, and protect postal assets within the Nation’s mail system, whether on postal property or beyond the perimeter of postal property.”
It expressed a further concern about “the impact of workforce shortages on timely delivery of mail,” and ordered the USPS to report to Congress on “significant barriers to recruitment and retention.”
OPM Advises Agencies on Conducting RIFs During Shutdown
Updated Shutdown Contingency Plans Show Range of Impacts
Use Shutdown as Justification for More RIFs, OMB Tells Agencies
Unions Win a Round in Court Disputes over Anti-Representation Orders
Deferred Resignation Periods End for Many; Overall 12% Drop
Senate Bill Would Override Trump Orders against Unions
See also,
How to Handle Taxes Owed on TSP Roth Conversions? Use a Ladder
The Best Ages for Federal Employees to Retire
Best States to Retire for Federal Retirees: 2025