Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is expanding his investigation into the U.S. Postal Service, accusing Postmaster General David Steiner of ignoring congressional oversight.
The Missouri Republican made the announcement in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, which stated that his office has received no documents in response to a June 30 oversight request.
Hawley informed Steiner that the investigation will now examine USPS' hiring of consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal, a restructuring firm that Steiner disclosed earlier this year had been hired to help the postal service plan for its financial future.
The senator questioned why USPS is paying outside consultants while projecting another multibillion-dollar loss and continuing to award executive bonuses.
"It is surprising to me that as you complain about this monetary crisis, you and other USPS executives continue to rake in annual bonus packages and have found plenty of cash to hire these outside consultants like A&M — all while service declines and far too many Americans are not receiving their mail," Hawley wrote.
Hawley is requesting records detailing who hired Alvarez & Marsal, how much the firm has been paid, and whether it was asked to recommend closing rural post offices, limiting rural delivery, or reviewing executive compensation.
He also inquired about whether USPS plans to release the firm's recommendations to Congress or the public, and requested a response to his expanded oversight questions by July 24.
USPS has lost an estimated $25 billion over the past three fiscal years and is projecting at least an $8.1 billion loss in fiscal year 2026, despite reforms Congress approved in 2022 to improve the agency's finances.
The senator noted that if the Postal Service plans to address its losses through hiring outside consultants, then Congress must be apprised of the nature of the engagement and the consultants' recommendations to ensure that USPS service standards do not continue to decline.
USPS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The investigation comes weeks after Hawley launched a probe into USPS over dumped mail in St. Louis, demanding records on delayed deliveries, possible criminal misconduct, and executive bonuses.
