Wagner Thanks Oversight Subcommittee Chair Sessions for Bringing Postmaster General to St. Louis to Address USPS Delivery Malfeasance

Ballwin, MO. – Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement after Chair Sessions toured the St. Louis Processing Center with the Postmaster General to exercise his Oversight responsibility and see firsthand the major problems the St. Louis community has had with on-time mail and package delivery:

Wagner said: “In March, I sent a letter formally requesting the House Oversight Committee, who has jurisdiction over the USPS, open a formal investigation into the disaster that has been our local mail delivery, and I thank Chairman Sessions for taking my many concerns seriously and coming to St. Louis today with the Postmaster General to help us get answers.  Our St. Louis community deserves on-time mail delivery from the United States Postal Service, and so far the Postal Service has failed that basic duty to the people. People haven’t been receiving their paychecks or essential medications, and their ballots have been inexplicably delayed.  I have worked for years to address this ongoing misconduct and hold accountable the people who have abdicated their basic responsibility to deliver the mail on time.  When I called for an audit of our Sorting and Distribution Center to better understand the plague of unreliable mail service, I knew things were bad, but the results of that audit shocked us all.  Postal Service leadership must be held responsible, and today’s visit is a good step, but it is certainly not the end.  I will keep fighting to ensure on-time mail delivery so you and your families can have your ballots, essential medication, and bill payments arrive on time.”

Background

Since February 2024, Congresswoman Wagner has led sustained oversight of USPS failures in St. Louis. Her work has included seven congressional letters, direct engagement with USPS Headquarters, helping secure a targeted Inspector General audit, leading a meeting with the Postmaster General, requesting assistance from the House Oversight Committee, and referring alleged mail theft and check washing to the FBI.

September 2024 – Wagner Calls for Audit of Mail Sorting in Eastern Missouri: She wrote Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit the Hazelwood, MO, Sorting and Distribution Center, explain failures to deliver election mail on time, and provide clarity on a new USPS proposal to further delay mail in rural America.

April 2025 - Wagner, once again, requests that the USPS OIG conducts an audit of post office and distribution centers in St. Louis County. 

The August 2025 OIG audit exposed deep-rooted inefficiencies, including:

1. A record backlog of over 2.5 million delayed mail pieces—the largest in USPS audit history—worsened by management instructing employees to hide delays in data systems.
2. Chronic staffing vacancies, unchecked truancy, and inadequate supervision, leading to operational breakdowns.
3. Incomplete maintenance and poor compliance, causing 40% of outbound trucks to be late or canceled due to shortages and congestion.
4. A complete failure of management to identify issues or enforce procedures, risking security for items like registered mail.

These failures culminated during Franklin County's April 2025 municipal election, where 350 absentee ballots arrived too late to be counted—some as late as August 20—disenfranchising Missourians who relied on the USPS to uphold their Constitutional right to vote.  

September 2025 –Wagner led a bipartisan, bicameral letter demanding a meeting with new Postmaster General Steiner: The meeting was meant to discuss action plans for OIG recommendations, delay resolutions, election integrity, community impacts, leadership reforms, transparency, and personnel accountability. 

November 2025 – Wagner Brings in Postmaster General for U.S. Capitol Meeting: After leading bipartisan Missouri delegation letter to Steiner regarding the audit and the breakdown of service in St. Louis, Rep. Wagner hosted Postmaster General Steiner and members of the Missouri and Illinois delegations on Capitol Hill. Steiner met with Reps. Wagner, Bell, Smith, Alford, Onder, and Bost, and acknowledged regional service failures and committed to corrective actions and a post-holiday assessment.

March 2026 – Wagner Requests Oversight Committee Investigation: After not receiving any updates on corrective actions or the post-holiday assessment, Rep. Wagner sent a letter to House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations requesting Chairman Pete Sessions’ assistance in reviewing USPS’s implementation of the OIG recommendations, responsiveness to Congress, management accountability, and preparedness to handle election mail.

May 2026 – Wagner Requests FBI Investigation of Check Washing at St. Louis USPS: After receiving a tip from a local Sheriff’s Office regarding mail theft and check washing at the St. Louis P&DC, Rep. Wagner sent a letter to the FBI requesting a federal investigation of mail theft and check washing connected to St. Louis postal processing. In response, the FBI informed Rep. Wagner that its St. Louis Field Offices had assigned a special agent to support and oversee a USPS OIG investigation.