WASHINGTON — The embattled leader of America's postal service says progress is taking place.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress his agency has made improvements in getting people their mail on time. He added that while he's cut the department's losses, the Post Office will not meet its goal of breaking even in 2023.
Noting that 98% of the U.S. population is now getting mail and packages within three days, DeJoy told lawmakers this week that his "Delivering For America" Plan is working, and he's optimistic that his reforms will soon stabilize Post Office operations.
"We have improved services, stabilized our workforce, started to modernize our nationwide networks, and just two years into a 10-year plan, we have cut in half our projected financial losses," he said.
The USPS reported a $2.5 billion net loss for the second quarter of fiscal 2023, but it has cut its projected losses over the next decade from $160 billion to $70 billion.
The House Oversight Committee Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce also discussed what members described as the "alarming trend" of mail-related crimes, including check theft and assaults on more than 2,000 postal workers since 2020.
"So these incidents, according to the Postal Service, are increasingly becoming more prevalent. The problem is getting more serious," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland).
"Our postal carriers must be ensured that their employer -- which is you, Mr. DeJoy -- is implementing all strategies and focusing all resources necessary to ensure the safety of its carriers and the timeliness of the mail that they are charged with delivering," said Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Maryland).
The Postal Inspection Service has said it received roughly 3,000 complaints about mail theft from March 2020 through February 2021.