Upcoming Audit Work

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide the nation with trusted, safe, and secure communications and mail services, including the more than 1.3 billion pieces of mail volume processed in Seattle, WA in fiscal year FY 2025. Unfortunately, these operations continue to be disrupted due to mail theft. Mail theft occurs in various ways such as individuals using stolen universal keys—called arrow keys—to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units (CBU), and apartment panels. Additionally, mail theft occurs when individuals fish or break into collection boxes with force, residential mailbox break-ins, package theft, and carrier robberies. It is imperative that the Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service work jointly to address mail theft issues and maintain the public's trust. Our objective is to assess the U.S. Postal Service’s actions taken to mitigate and respond to mail theft at selected facilities in Seattle, WA. 

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide the nation with trusted, safe, and secure communications and mail services, including the more than 1.8 billion pieces of mail volume processed in Las Vegas, NV in fiscal year FY 2025. Unfortunately, these operations continue to be disrupted due to mail theft. Mail theft occurs in various ways such as individuals using stolen universal keys—called arrow keys—to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units (CBU), and apartment panels. Additionally, mail theft occurs when individuals fish or break into collection boxes with force, residential mailbox break-ins, package theft, and carrier robberies. It is imperative that the Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service work jointly to address mail theft issues and maintain the public's trust. Our objective is to assess the U.S. Postal Service’s actions taken to mitigate and respond to mail theft at selected facilities in Las Vegas, NV. 

At the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Quarter 2, the Postal Service held $4.5 billion in available cash, resulting in the Postal Service disclosing that it has sufficient liquidity to remain operational through May 2027. This is not the first time the Postal Service faced low liquidity; cash was also low in FY 2011 through FY 2013 and during FY 2019. This white paper will examine its current cash position and cash flows, as well as the cash flows and conditions in those past periods of low liquidity. We also plan to explore cash management strategies pursued in the past and today.

Following the 2024 audit—which found that the Postal Service was not tracking contractor accidents and lacked visibility into subcontractors, who were not always screened—there has been a significant push for transparency and stricter oversight. In efforts to support and maintain safety at Postal Service facilities and on contract service routes, there are multiple regulations, policies, and procedures to assist Postal Service personnel and contractors. As such, our objective is to determine if the Postal Service is effectively overseeing contract trucking suppliers and related subcontractors, to ensure compliance with policies and regulations.

This audit is in response to a congressional request to identify causes of mail delays. This audit will examine how Delivering for America network changes such as transportation optimization and processing consolidations affect service performance in South Dakota. South Dakota mail may often travel long distances out of state for processing. Transportation changes, planned conversions to local processing centers, and revised service standards further influence delivery times, which can range from two to seven days. Rural areas may be especially impacted.