The Postal Service’s inspector general says parts of the agency’s 10-year reform plan introduced this spring might result in “regional or widespread service issues,” and is calling on Congress to boost its budget in the years ahead so her office can track changes in on-time delivery.
The USPS IG office is asking for a $263 million budget in fiscal 2022, a $13 million increase from enacted levels. A majority of the additional funding would go toward increased staffing. USPS IG currently has one employee for every 637 postal workers.
For fiscal 2023, Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb said her office is asking for $17 million to study the impact of USPS plans to reduce service standards for first-class mail and its first-class package service used largely for prescription drugs.
With this money, Whitcomb said her office could stand up an audit group to provide “continuous monitoring” of USPS service.