Washington, D.C. (Mar. 12, 2021)—Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents related to the U.S. Postal Service’s recent contract award to purchase up to 165,000 new postal vehicles from Oshkosh Corporation in a deal valued at up to $6 billion.
“According to the Postal Service, the contract ‘is the first part of a multi-billion-dollar 10-year effort to replace the Postal Service’s delivery vehicle fleet, one of the world’s largest.’ The surprise announcement on February 23, 2021, marked the end of a ‘highly secretive’ selection process that spanned six years,” Chairwoman Maloney wrote.
In today’s letter, Chairwoman Maloney highlighted concerns about the contract. For example, Oshkosh reportedly submitted a prototype with a gasoline engine despite an initial announcement that the vehicles would be “equipped with either fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery electric powertrains.” DeJoy later clarified that that only 10% of the initial order would be electric, conflicting with the Biden Administration’s commitment to transition the federal government to a fully electric fleet as part of a comprehensive effort to combat global warming.
In addition, reports indicated that the night before the award announcement, an unknown party purchased Oshkosh Corp. shares worth $54 million.
“These reports raise concerns about the Postal Service’s selection process and contract award for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle program,” Chairwoman Maloney wrote. “A thorough review is warranted to ensure the award process is free from undue influence and potential interference.”
Chairwoman Maloney requested all documents related to this contract be provided to the Committee by March 26, 2021.
Click here to read today’s letter.