Sen. Carper Reacts to Report Detailing Postal Employee Abuse of Agency Credit Cards

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service, reacted to a recent Postal Service Inspector General report that details abuse of agency credit cards by postal employees:

“We’re at a point today where the Postal Service is losing a record amount of money year in and year out. Cumulative losses could total nearly $240 billion by 2020. Things are so bad that the Postal Service may actually be forced to close its doors by next Christmas. So, at a time when my colleagues and I are working so hard to stabilize the Postal Service’s finances, it is disturbing and deeply disappointing to hear this latest news about postal employees abusing agency credit cards.

“Postal management is currently pursuing tough changes such rate increases, cuts in service, and wage and benefit concessions from its employees as part of their effort to reduce costs. I’ve told the new Postmaster General and his predecessor that he and other top postal executives need to do their part as well. If they are going to ask postal employees and customers to make sacrifices to save the Postal Service, then the postal leadership certainly has a responsibility to set a good example when it comes to frugality and basic financial management. In this case, they have clearly failed. I intend to get to the bottom of how these abuses went unchecked for so long and find a way to prevent similar instances of waste and fraud moving forward.”