This is a busy political season with several highly contested seats up for reelection in the house and senate this fall, so consequently we usually see very few formal activities impacting postal out the legislative process. But that doesn’t mean there are no discussions and proposals being worked on.
Below summarizes some of the more recent and high profile bills being presented.
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- No Bonuses for Bad Service Act (S. 5163): Introduced in late July 2026 by Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), this bipartisan bill proposes banning executive bonuses for the Postmaster General and Deputy Postmaster General during any fiscal year in which on-time delivery rates for market-dominant mail drop below 95%.
- The bill passed through the Committee of Homeland Security and Government Affairs on August 6th; it will move to the floor for a future vote.
- Election Mail Tracking Legislation (H.R. 7265): Focuses on national ballot integrity by requiring all mailed election ballots to feature unique tracking barcodes and standardized envelope designs bearing an official election mail logo.
- House leadership must place H.R. 7265 on the legislative calendar for a full floor debate and vote. (This is not part of the Executive Order (EO) that requires USPS to keep a portal of registered voters – the EO is still in flux through the courts)
- Defining the Universal Service Obligation (USO): NO official bill has been introduced. Following briefings from regulatory oversight committees, lawmakers are debating whether Congress must formally define the USO in statute.
- Key issues under discussion include:
- Delivery Frequency: Codifying or revising the 6-day delivery mandate vs. evaluating 5-day models to curb operational costs.
- Facilities: Establishing minimum requirements for post office density locations, and collection box access to determine requirements before any future consolidations or closures.
- Key issues under discussion include:
- Financial & Investment Authority: NO official bill has been introduced. USPS and stakeholder groups along with some Congressional leaders continue pushing for structural financial reform proposals, including:
- Recalculating pre-1971 civil service pension liabilities to shift historical obligations back to the U.S. Treasury.
- Allowing USPS retirement and health benefit funds to invest outside low-yield Treasury securities to avoid the long-term cash crunch expected when the Retiree Health Benefits Fund depletes near 2031.
- Raising the statutory borrowing limit on USPS debt to $34.5 billion.
