GAO: U.S. Postal Service: Cost-Cutting Initiatives and Other Factors Have Contributed to Declining Service Performance
What GAO Found 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 a [gao:inspector general]
Evidence
1 sources- 01https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108527
GAO
trust 0.90“What GAO Found 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…”
Across the aisle
Voices on this issue
Independent voices from different starting points, on the record about this kind of action. The framework grades behavior, not party — these quotes come from people who would say the same thing under any administration.
From the right
“Conservatism is supposed to be about institutions. If you are tearing the institutions down, you are not doing conservatism.”
Adam Kinzinger
Former Republican congressman from Illinois; House Jan 6 Committee member.
Kinzinger has restated this principle across multiple post-2021 appearances. Public statements (consolidated)