Imagine pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into a project, only to see it fall spectacularly behind schedule. That’s the reality facing the U.S. Postal Service’s ambitious plan to electrify its fleet. With over $3 billion spent and just 612 electric trucks built out of a promised 35,000, this initiative is raising serious questions about accountability and efficiency.
According to a letter obtained by The Post and addressed to Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the USPS’s all-electric fleet dream is far from realized. The project, funded by former President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), allocated $3 billion to Wisconsin-based defense contractor Oshkosh for the production of battery-powered mail trucks. But here’s where it gets controversial: Ernst has slammed the initiative as a green ‘boondoggle,’ arguing that the massive investment has yielded shockingly few results.
In July, Ernst, who chairs the Senate’s DOGE caucus, revealed that $2.6 billion had been paid to Oshkosh, yet only 250 trucks had been produced. She vowed to ‘cancel the order and return the money to the sender—the American people,’ as part of a rescissions package passed by Congress. Fast forward to November, and the numbers are still underwhelming: just 612 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV BEVs) are on the road, serving 15 sites nationwide.
Peter Pastre, USPS’s vice president of government relations and public policy, insists the numbers are growing weekly. But let’s break it down: Oshkosh produced 362 trucks in over 100 days, averaging three to four trucks per day. Is this the pace of progress taxpayers should expect for a $3 billion investment?
Adding to the complexity, USPS has also acquired 2,010 Ford E-Transits, currently delivering mail at 65 locations, with another 6,727 sitting unused. These vehicles, however, are left-hand-drive and can’t replace the right-hand-drive NGDV BEVs on their routes. And this is the part most people miss: USPS has installed 6,651 charging ports—three times the number of vehicles in use—yet the fate of the remaining IRA funds remains uncertain.
Ernst isn’t holding back her criticism. ‘Spending $1.7 billion to produce only 612 EVs is a tremendous waste,’ she said. ‘And purchasing 6,727 additional EVs that aren’t even being used? It’s time to pull the plug on this boondoggle and return the money to taxpayers.’
The USPS’s ‘greening’ initiative was part of a $10 billion plan to introduce 106,480 new vehicles by 2028, with 35,000 slated to be battery-electric. But production delays and quality issues have plagued the project. For instance, Oshkosh’s trucks initially failed leak tests, with water pouring out as if the windows had been left open in a storm. One insider bluntly told The Washington Post, ‘We don’t know how to make a damn truck.’
Despite these setbacks, USPS claims it’s on track, boasting in a recent press release about acquiring 45,000 battery-electric vehicles by 2028. However, the release conveniently omits that many of the 35,000 vehicles already on the road still rely on internal combustion engines. Pastre confirmed that USPS plans to acquire 40,250 internal combustion vehicles, with over 26,000 already purchased.
Is this truly the green revolution we were promised, or a costly misstep? As USPS upgrades its infrastructure with charging stations and President Trump suggests merging the service with the Department of Commerce due to its $9.5 billion capital loss in 2024, the future of this project remains uncertain. What do you think? Is this initiative worth salvaging, or should taxpayers demand a refund? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
