NEW YORK – 6/5/26 – In the interest of safety and security, postal officials will temporarily seal or remove Postal Service collection boxes on Friday, June 12, in New York City.

The familiar blue collection boxes will be inaccessible until they are reopened on Sunday, June 14.

US Mail Collection Boxes impacted at the following locations:

• Both sides of 3rd Avenue from East 106th Street to East 122nd Street

For additional locations to deposit mail, customers are directed to usps.com and to use Quick Tools to Find Locations. Use the dropdown for collection boxes or post offices to find alternate locations for secure mail deposits in the immediate area.

The 116th Street Festival (or East 116th Street Festival) is one of New York City’s largest and most prominent cultural street celebrations, dedicated to Puerto Rican and Hispanic heritage. Held annually in El Barrio (East Harlem), the event is a massive, multi-block celebration featuring live music, food, and community activities.

U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Postal Delivery Accountability Act requiring the USPS implement tracking information for mail deliveries and ensure it is available to residents.

“The Postal Service is required by law to deliver six days a week to every address in America,” said Cramer. “That’s the law, that’s not an option. But we know in North Dakota, that’s oftentimes [not] the reality and the problem is worsened by the fact that the Postal Service can’t accurately track when mail routes don’t receive deliveries. For paychecks, prescription medication, and other important items, we rely on this essential service that the Postal Service is supposed to be providing. The Postal Delivery Accountability Act will support the critical work by requiring proper tracking tools and notifications for customers so they can know exactly where their delivery is and when they can expect it. This is 2026 after all!”

“Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service for essentials like prescriptions, bills, and Social Security checks. When mail delivery is delayed or unreliable, the harm is real. Yet when I ask the Postal Service for information about these disruptions, I’m told everything is fine. The reality is that they often don’t even know themselves,” said Smith. “As an essential public service, the USPS owes Americans transparency. The Postal Delivery Accountability Act is an important step toward that goal.”

“North Dakotans depend on timely, reliable mail delivery,” said Hoeven. “Delayed or undelivered mail can have real consequences for families, seniors, veterans and small businesses. This legislation would help improve transparency, strengthen accountability at USPS and ensure customers have better information when delivery issues arise.”

“Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service to deliver their prescriptions, Social Security checks, and more,” said Klobuchar. “They deserve timely service, and when the Postal Service fails to meet the mark, at the very least customers should be notified. The Postal Inspector General recommended important transparency and accountability measures that will help improve service, and this legislation will ensure they are implemented. I will keep fighting to improve the speed and reliability of the Postal Service.”

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Postal Service has delivered essential mail to businesses and households across the nation for nearly 250 years, including hard to reach rural communities.

• Postal Regulatory Commission Vice Chairman Robert Taub testified that “The U.S. postal and delivery sector represents a nearly $2 trillion a year industry with almost 8 million jobs, making it vital to our economy. However, the Postal Service is in a serious financial crisis, operating under an unsustainable model, and the commission, along with the [Government Accountability Office], the [Inspector General], President Trump’s Treasury Task Force on the Postal System, and the Postal Service itself have all pointed the way forward.”
• Postal Regulatory Commissioner Ann Fisher testified that “My point is that while delivery options and consumer expectations continue to evolve, rural and remote communities still rely on the Postal Service for affordable delivery of mail and packages. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity to evaluate the current needs of Postal Service stakeholders.”
• Postal Regulatory Commissioner Ashley Poling stated that “Even in a world dominated by electronic communication, especially for the nearly 66 million rural Americans, the Postal Service continues to fill an important role, not just as a communication channel, but as a lifeline for rural residents ordering pharmaceuticals and other necessary medical items and an economic engine for local small businesses reaching their customers.“

USPS’s financial condition and service reliability remain in serious trouble. Congress must take decisive action to address structural challenges, strengthen the Postal Service’s long-term financial sustainability, and improve the quality, consistency, and speed of mail delivery for the American public.

• Vice Chairman Robert Taub testified that “The Commission also cautions against endorsing the postal service’s plan to move full steam ahead with what, in essence, is the delivering for America plan [Delivering for America] plan that promised break even operations by 2023, and a cumulative ten-year net income of $200 million. In fact, now in year six of the ten-year plan, the postal service has incurred $31 billion in losses and is on the path to losing even more in the remaining four years of its implementation. It is a plan that promised to streamline and save the postal service $28 to $40 billion by 2030, as initially estimated. Yet implementation of the plan has slowed mail delivery across the United States, particularly in rural areas, which to a greater extent rely on affordable and reliable mail delivery. Further, the mounting financial losses continue, a situation the commission warned about on several prior occasions.”
  
• Commissioner Ann Fisher also stated that “The Postal Service was designed to be self-funded, but has not reported an annual profit in roughly the last decade. Over just the last three years, cumulative net losses totaled about $25 billion, underscoring that the current trajectory is not self-correcting. Given this backdrop, the Commission has had to make difficult decisions, Vice Chairman Taub noted. The waiver. We recently granted the Postal Service allowing for emergency liquidity relief. The Postal Service is also seeking congressional assistance in the form of an increased debt limit, an annual appropriation to fund universal service and other items, all of which deserve fair consideration.”
  
• Commissioner Thomas Day testified that “We were correct in what we stated last year. It is almost certainly a better solution for the Postal Service to step back from DFA and properly design and implement an optimized network within the physical network that already exists. It will take some time to study, approve, and implement a revision to the [USO]. As that effort is underway, properly designing and implementing a revised postal network is critical. This is a value for the immediate future, but it also will create a framework for future updates as change will continue to take place throughout the postal industry.”
  
• Commissioner Poling also noted that “The situation facing the Postal Service is a five-alarm fire. Volume of traditional mail continues to decline, a result of both ongoing electronic diversion and an acceleration due in part to the postal service’s aggressive pricing strategy. And at the same time, service quality continues to suffer as the leadership of the Postal Service has decided to slow service standards for several mail products over the last five years, including twice for the flagship first class mail product, while also lowering its service performance targets. What this means is simple the American people are paying more, while fewer mail pieces are being delivered in the expected time frame as declining mail volumes and an increasing number of delivery points continue to put financial pressure on the postal service, the incentive to underperform service expectations can be expected to increase.“

Congress must work with the Postal Regulatory Commission and Postmaster General to make the hard decisions to reform the Postal Service.

Member Highlights:

Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) asked about the USPS’s reliability and costs of delivering packages to rural areas and how competition with the private sector could affect this.

Subcommittee Chairman Sessions: “Does that mean that there would be some observations about what I would call ‘rural delivery’ of these packages versus city or suburban, large areas, middle areas, [other] parts of the country? How might we look at what you’re saying? Or how should we look at to evaluate what the postal service is looking at for delivery of these boxes?”

Commissioner Fisher: “The postal service still has, in general, the least costly service available for the delivery of the packages. But there is an immense effort. I read an article the other day about how both Amazon and Walmart, who have made a concerted effort to build up their space into rural remote areas, and they’ve also noticed that it’s not just the people who’ve lived there, but as more and more people telework, they are moving into these rural or remote areas. So Amazon and Walmart are in a race to try and best serve that community. You pay a price for it with your membership in each one, but you can get same day delivery, but from the Postal Service, if they could just improve again, their reliability and their perhaps their tracking capabilities, it would go far.”

[…]

Subcommittee Chairman Sessions: “Ms. Poling, you have spoken very eloquently about rural customers’ expectations and the things which are part to their satisfaction as well as, as Mr. Day just said, the effective operation of money. What conversation would you have with me about competition to that, what might be called ‘last mile,’ or the competition angle with the Post Office and other competing factors? Maybe Amazon, maybe someone else, UPS, could be, but that’s competing in that market. Can you put us in that world of, of how that works and what those issues might be?”

Commissioner Poling: “I will do my best… for many, many more years. And I think, you know, again, getting back to this universal service obligation, that’s sort of why I think we need to start having these conversations. What I worry a lot about is that in these rural areas, right? It’s not always as profitable to deliver to them. Right. And so, and unlike the Postal Service, private carriers have the option of deciding not to right, not to deliver to those areas or to or to charge rural surcharges. The Postal Service has to be accessible and affordable to everyone…I worry about the impact that this will have on rural America, where it is costly to deliver to those areas. And these folks, you know, it is their lifeline and it is something that they really rely on. So I think all of those conversations need to be had. And I think I will say this too, I think there’s tremendous opportunity to be had with the private sector as well. I think there have been a lot of great relationships that have been created, right, with Amazon, with others, and I think all of those things, nothing should be off the table.”

[…]

Subcommittee Chairman Sessions: “I would say to you that I said to you, and you know, this, what are the tough decisions that the postal service has had to make? What are the really hard questions that they have had to face down? And you gave me a good answer. I want you to know that these are the things that are aimed right at Congress right now. What really hard decisions are we willing to not just ask the questions, but the decisions we’re going to make? And perhaps the one that each of you have put back right at [Ranking Member Mfume] and I at least myself, what is that standard going to be? What’s the plan? What is the service going to look like? These questions need to be answered before you answer the other.”

 Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) inquired whether USPS would eliminate unprofitable pieces of mail and whether the presence of unions drives up labor costs.

Rep. Burchett: “So, what you said there, does every category of marketing mail make money, including the flats?”

Vice Chairman Taub: “Flats is one of the areas marketing mail flats where they are losing money. But the rest of marketing mail is actually contributing quite a bit to the overhead.”

Rep. Burchett: “Okay. Given that those are unprofitable, would you all recommend the Postal Service phase out or restrict some of those products?”

Vice Chairman Taub: “What we have done in the rate system that we’ve designed is require the Postal Service to increase those rates to better cost coverage, as well as look at reducing the costs. There is, in fact, in the 2022 law, a requirement that the Postal Service study this to get to that issue. We have looked at it. Unfortunately, it is a perennial problem that we’ve been concerned about for quite a long time.”

Rep. Burchett: “And what percentage of the postal employees fall under the collective bargaining agreements compared to possibly the non-postal federal employees?”

Vice Chairman Taub: “Certainly the large bulk of their workforce. I don’t have the percentage offhand. We could get to you, our collectively bargained employees. Those are the clerks, the carriers, rural and city and the mail handlers. That is the bulk of the Postal Service workforce.”

Rep. Burchett: “Now, does the high percentage of union folks give the Postal Service more or less flexibility to adjust postal functions?”

Vice Chairman Taub: “The collective bargaining requirements have been embedded in the statute since the Postal Service was created, so that does create a mandated process that would be different than other federal employees where they’re not under collective bargaining restrictions and mandates.”

Rep. Burchett: “What percentage of the postal service operating costs go to labor? And how can the federal government decrease that amount?”

Vice Chairman Taub: “Generally speaking, historically, the Postal Service, roughly 70 percent of the costs are for labor. It’s a very, you know, handicraft-focused business, but generally it’s been about 70 percent of the total cost of the Postal Service are for labor. While revenue has been increasing over, say, the last decade, the expenditures have been going up more than that. Just in the last five years, their costs have been going up ten percent, a variety of factors. But if you’ve got 70 percent of that as employee costs, that is going to be obviously a driving expenditure.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) asked about the problems USPS faces when investing in technologies that disrupt the private sector.

Rep. Foxx: “So what problems arise when the Postal Service invests in technologies that can disrupt private sector solutions, especially when those companies’ products are regulated by the postal service itself?”

Vice Chairman Taub: “Yeah, deeply, you know, you just go down the list. Not only that is then, adding and saddling the Postal Service and the rate payers with more costs that otherwise could be inflicted by leveraging the public private partnerships. But it’s affecting the private sector, the United States, the government establishment and commercial marketplace. We do have authority based on the 2006 law to police through complaint where the Postal Service is using its regulatory authority to unfairly compete with the private sector. And so those are areas that we’ve had a chance to police, but we have not actually adjudicated many of those complaints. But that is a deep concern, and we do have authority over that.” Click here to watch the hearing.

Self-service options are available in many retail lobbies when Post Offices are closed

WASHINGTON — 6/5/26 – The U.S. Postal Service will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 19. All Post Office locations will be closed. Regular mail delivery and retail services will resume on Saturday, June 20.

Customers are reminded that when Post Offices are closed, they can still access many postal products and services through usps.com and self-service kiosks available in select lobbies nationwide. These kiosks feature:

• Postage printing for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and international shipping;
• Stamps for purchase;
• Ability to weigh and mail packages; and
• Package tracking information.

As USPS modernizes its retail locations, more self-service options are becoming available at more locations and may include:

• Rapid Dropoff Stations for customers who have already created and printed labels online;
• An option for customers to print shipping labels from a merchant-provided QR code; and
• USPS Smart Lockers that allow customers to both drop off and pick up packages.

Many self-service kiosks are available 24/7, offering customers flexibility and convenience even when Post Offices are closed.

For more information on USPS services, visit www.usps.com.

USPS News Link – 6/4/26 – DHL eCommerce recently announced an exclusive, multiyear deal with the Postal Service for last-mile parcel delivery in the United States.

The contract is the longest in the 25-year relationship between the two organizations and is valued at more than $10 billion.

“Today marks an exciting milestone in the evolution of our relationship with DHL eCommerce. This extended and exclusive agreement reflects a shared commitment to innovation, operational alignment, and delivering greater value to the shipping marketplace,” Postmaster General David Steiner said.

“By aligning more closely with our transformed network, we are creating a stronger, more efficient last-mile solution that expands customers’ access to the Postal Service’s unmatched reach. Together, we are building a more flexible, market-responsive model that enhances reliability, supports growth, and positions both organizations for long-term success,” he said.

DHL eCommerce — a division of DHL Group — provides domestic and international package delivery for high-volume businesses to customers. The agreement gives the shipper access to more than 170 million delivery points throughout the United States and its territories.

More information can be found in the Postal Service’s May 28 news release.

6/4/26 – The U.S. Census Bureau is sending workers door-to-door as part of the 2026 Census Test. During these tests, workers evaluate methods, technology, and procedures for the 2030 Census.

The Bureau plans to test new ways to collect data, such as using U.S. Postal Service staff to count people in person. But after a Department of Commerce review, the Bureau reduced the scope of the 2026 test. The test plans now include fewer sites and fewer data collection innovations.

These changes increase the risk that the Bureau will make final design decisions for the 2030 Census without accurate information. We recommended the Bureau address this and more.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2026 Census Test will not produce data on the viability of certain proposed 2030 Census design features as originally envisioned. The Bureau reduced the scope of the 2026 test in two ways. First, it reduced the number of test locations from six to two. Second, it reduced or eliminated 10 of 19 operational activities that the Bureau originally had planned to test for viability. These activities include, for example, changing how the Bureau uses administrative data to enumerate certain households and providing an internet self-response option for residents of university halls. As a result of the Department of Commerce’s review of the 2026 Test, the Bureau determined that the 2026 Test would focus on two key priorities, according to agency officials: (1) piloting in-field enumeration by U.S. Postal Service (USPS) staff, and (2) enhancements and innovations to field infrastructure, staffing, and training.

GAO’s prior work identified evidence-based policymaking practices, including that agencies should build a portfolio of high-quality, credible sources of evidence to support decision-making. As a result of the narrowed scope and other changes to the 2026 Test, there is a risk that the Bureau will not collect information on the efficacy of certain design features before it finalizes the Census design. Consequently, the Bureau could experience cost and quality challenges in managing the 2030 Census. Not having evidence to inform decisions may also harm congressional and public confidence in the Census.

The figure below displays the four canceled 2026 Test sites and two remaining sites—Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Bureau scaled down the 2026 Test in part to focus on piloting the use of USPS staff for in-field enumeration at the two remaining locations. The Bureau also changed the questionnaire to ask more questions, including on citizenship status, from respondents. In addition, the Bureau previously called for Spanish and Chinese language versions of the questionnaire but approved an English-only language version.

 

 

The Bureau has agency-wide skills gaps that could affect mission-critical areas such as modern IT engineering and cybersecurity but has not completed an agency-wide workforce assessment that would be needed to identify and address any additional gaps. A key principle for effective strategic workforce planning is to develop strategies that are tailored to address gaps in number, deployment, and alignment of human capital approaches for enabling and sustaining the contributions of all critical skills and competencies. Given the statutory deadline for tabulating census results, the Bureau must have sufficient staff with the right skill sets in place to manage an effective enumeration. As of February 2026, though, Bureau officials said the agency-wide workforce assessment is paused until the Bureau establishes roles for employees participating in the assessment, which may be delayed until the agency completes a broader reorganization effort (slated for fiscal year 2027). Such a timeline would create challenges to addressing skills gaps in time to effectively manage the 2030 Census. Moreover, without better understanding its workforce needs, whether through an agencywide workforce assessment or other means, the Bureau may not be addressing existing skills gaps through actions it is currently taking.

Why GAO Did This Study

The Constitution mandates the recurring conduct of a census for purposes of apportioning political representation among the states, which is carried out by the Bureau and provides vital data for the nation. GAO was asked to report on a range of topics related to preparations for the 2030 Census. The Bureau is implementing the 2026 Test as the first of two major field tests planned to help the agency examine new methods, processes, and approaches to the census. The stated purpose of the 2026 Test is to assess the viability of new or revised design elements for the 2030 Census.

This is the first of a series of products reporting on the status of preparations, planning decisions, and testing for the 2030 Census, as well as emerging challenges that could affect the Bureau’s approach for the 2030 Census.

GAO reviewed operational and staffing plans for the 2026 Test and 2030 Census, and data on Bureau-wide personnel actions for 2025. GAO also interviewed Bureau officials and sought a rationale from Commerce regarding changes made to the focus of the 2026 Test. As of May 2026, Commerce has yet to respond.

Recommendations

GAO recommends that the Secretary of Commerce instruct the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau to (1) research and test the operational activities and design features removed from the 2026 Census Test prior to finalizing its design of the 2030 Census, and (2) determine decennial census workforce needs so that the Bureau may address skills gaps in time to effectively manage the 2030 Census. Commerce agreed with both recommendations.

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of Commerce	The Secretary of Commerce should instruct the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau to research and test the operational activities and design features removed from the 2026 Census Test prior to finalizing its design of the 2030 Census. (Recommendation 1)	Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Commerce	The Secretary of Commerce should instruct the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau to determine decennial workforce needs so the Bureau may address skills gaps in time to effectively manage the 2030 Census. (Recommendation 2)	Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Washington, D.C. — 6/3/26 – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today announced the introduction of the Postal Data Privacy Act, legislation that requires law enforcement to obtain a court order to legally access certain postal information through the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

Current law states that law enforcement agencies can request a “mail cover” investigation from USPIS without a stated reason, and if approved, postal workers can record information on the exterior of letters and parcels before delivery and provide it to the requesting law enforcement agency. This information can include an individual’s bank, subscribed publications, and even political and religious affiliations that can be used in a court of law and stored for up to 8 years.

“Millions of Americans rely on the U.S. Postal Service to handle personal information like tax documents, medications, and mail-in ballots,” said Rep. Scanlon. “It is vital that unregulated surveillance powers be reined in to further prevent this administration’s weaponization of federal agencies. The American people deserve to know that their First and Fourth Amendment rights remain protected.”

Following the Trump Administration’s order to divert USPIS resources to assisting with aggressive deportation efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Rep. Scanlon led 44 of her House colleagues in condemning these actions.

The Postal Data Privacy Act would impose a court-order requirement on any mail-cover investigation, require law enforcement to show that mail covers are relevant to an ongoing investigation, and limit the amount of time law enforcement may retain mail cover records from 8 years to 180 days.

The bill is endorsed by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Find the full bill text here.

The program includes updated training and guidance focusing on proper hydration, early symptom recognition and the importance of preventative measures.

Mandatory Heat Illness Prevention Program training will be available in the Learning Management System through MyHR.

Additional program details, resources and reminders can be found on the Heat Illness Prevention page on the MyHR website and will be shared in a July edition of Postal Bulletin.

Cordova, 51, of San Jose, was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 23, 2025, on charges of federal robbery and assault.  He pleaded guilty to both counts of the indictment on March 31, 2026.  According to the plea agreement, Cordova admitted that he went inside a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail truck with the intent to steal mail.  A USPS letter carrier approached him as Cordova was taking mail.  Cordova punched the letter carrier in the face, knocking him to the ground.  Cordova then got on top of the letter carrier and continued to punch him several times in the face and head.

According to court documents, the letter carrier sustained a broken nose, a fractured orbital socket, and had a permanent metal plate placed inside of his face due to his injuries.  Judge Freeman found that Cordova qualified as career offender under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

“Today’s sentence underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting federal employees who serve the public every day.  Anyone who attacks postal workers—or any public servant—will be held fully accountable,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.

“Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime committed in this case.  Hardworking people come into your neighborhoods to deliver mail, they deserve respect and protection,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Stephen M. Sherwood.  “Postal inspectors will not relent from bringing anyone who harms a postal worker to justice.  I want to thank the San Jose Police Department for their excellent response and teamwork and the Northern District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office for their determination in prosecuting this case.”

The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service for transport to the Bureau of Prisons.  In addition to the prison term, Judge Freeman sentenced Cordova to a 3-year period of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal C. Hong is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by USPIS and the San Jose Police Department.

Read PEN’s previous coverage here.