Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst demanded that the United States Postal Service (USPS) account for its building usage in a letter sent Friday.
The USPS has lost more than $18 billion over the last two fiscal years using generally accepted accounting procedures, according to a Nov. 14 release by the agency. In the letter, Ernst demanded that Postmaster General David Steiner answer questions about the facilities owned or leased by the USPS by Jan. 9, 2026, citing a Nov. 24 report by the agency’s inspector general.“The IG found that the USPS has no reliable data on how it uses its buildings, no comprehensive strategy to reduce waste, and no recorded space assessments for over 21,500 of its buildings,” Ernst wrote.
“If you’re wondering how the U.S. Postal Service loses billions every year, look no further than the fact that they self-admittedly have no clue if they are using the buildings they pay for,” Ernst told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Unfortunately, this isn’t rare in Washington with your tax dollars paying for 7,700 completely vacant buildings! I will continue leading the charge to evaluate the federal government’s bloated real estate portfolio and downsize unneeded and costly office space.”
