Washington, D.C. (June 6, 2025)— Today, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, led Subcommittee Democrats in sending a letter to Comptroller General of the United States Gene L. Dodaro requesting an investigation into the progress made on the U.S. Postal Service (Postal Service) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Joint Project Safe Delivery Initiative, citing their continued concerns about the safety of Postal Service employees and facilities.
“We write to request an investigation into progress made on the U.S. Postal Service (Postal Service) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Joint Project Safe Delivery Initiative. We remain concerned about the safety of Postal Service employees and Postal Service facilities and believe that as we pass the two-year anniversary of this initiative, an outside evaluation is necessary and prudent to provide transparency and accountability about the efforts made thus far,” wrote the Members.
According to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), serious crimes against postal employees and facilities doubled from 2019 to 2023. The Postal Service and USPIS have since claimed reductions in letter carrier robberies and more than 2,400 arrests as of January 2025.
“This news represents encouraging progress in removing easy incentives for thieves and criminals to target hardworking postal carriers. However, amidst a record of failure and mismanagement in addressing crimes against postal employees, an outside review is needed to take an accurate accounting of where progress has been made, where more needs to be done, and how to set Project Safe Delivery back on the right track if necessary,” added the Members.
On May 9, 2025, the Postal Service Board of Governors announced the next Postmaster General as David Steiner, a former FedEx board member and Waste Management Corporation CEO. Given the upcoming change in leadership, it is crucial that the Postal Service remain focused on curbing mail theft and fraud to protect our Postal employees and maintain the safe delivery of U.S. mail.
To ensure the continued success of the Joint Project Safe Delivery Initiative, Ranking Member Mfume requests that the GAO conduct an examination of the current state of postal-related crimes, implementation of the project, and how the Postal Service and USPIS are measuring its progress.
Click here to read the letter to Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro.
