The President’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget provides funding of $263,500,000 to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) for ongoing operational expenses.
The OIG’s funding request was $306,700,000. The President’s proposed budget represents a 1.8 percent decrease from the prior year’s funding and a 14.1 percent decrease from our request. While faced with a decrease in funding, the OIG remains committed to fulfilling its mission of promoting the integrity, accountability, and efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service and its regulator, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).
This document highlights our key initiatives, presenting perspective and context for our budget needs and focus areas for FY 2026. It also highlights our prior year accomplishments and activities.
The Postal Service is part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, and our office continues to align mission resources to address the agency’s highest-risk areas. We have historically focused on reviewing service to postal customers, evaluating operational efficiencies, and analyzing postal finances.
We expect this work to increase as the Postal Service continues to implement large, nationwide changes and execute key aspects of its 10-year Delivering for America plan and the 2022 Postal Service Reform Act.
The OIG’s goal is to provide objective information on the effects of these changes, making recommendations to enhance the efficiency of postal operations and preserving timely delivery to the American public. We are enhancing our website to provide transparency into these changes and the impacts on communities across America.
More information on the OIG’s mission and efforts can be accessed through our website. We achieve significant results with an efficient and lean staff. Compared to other OIGs, our office has one of the lowest ratios of employees compared to its parent agency, with one OIG employee for every 690 postal workers.
For the past two years, on average, we have provided a return on investment of nearly $5 for every $1 invested in our budget. The OIG will need to make strategic adjustments to operate within available resources.
We will prioritize efforts to oversee and investigate Postal Service operations, increase stakeholder transparency — particularly in America’s rural areas — and combat mail theft and narcotics trafficking in the U.S. Mail. Additionally, we will continue to use and grow 21st century tools and data analytics to optimize our impact.
