GAO – USPS Cost-Cutting Initiatives and Other Factors Have Contributed to Declining Service Performance

In 2021, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) published a 10-year strategic plan, which it has periodically updated, that aims to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence. Since that time, USPS has lengthened the expected delivery times of some First-Class Mail to align with strategic plan initiatives intended to cut costs.

  • Effective October 2021, USPS added 1 to 2 days to its expected delivery times for certain products to accommodate its transportation change from air to ground.
  • In April 2025, USPS further changed expected delivery times by eliminating end-of-day or afternoon collection at the over 24,000 post offices that are more than 50 miles from a Regional Processing and Delivery Center.

Additionally, USPS lowered its service performance targets—the percentage of mail it expects to meet service standards—in fiscal year 2021 and has not met most targets since then. While intended to achieve cost savings, USPS’s strategic plan initiatives have slowed service for some mail and had a disproportionate impact on rural customers, according to oversight entities and industry stakeholders.

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Latest comments (1)

  • The Truth•

    Wait a minute here. Didn’t one of Steiner’s lackeys testify that they were at a 91% rate? And we all know these people at the USPS never fabricate, correct? This illustrates one of the central issues with the USPS: they lie at will with no impunity. And that’s when you can get a response at all from them. The “ spokespersons” are nothing more than paid liars with expertise in using lots of words to essentially say nothing, but when they do, you can bet they’re untruthful.

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