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WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the upcoming holiday shopping season just over the horizon, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced she has cosponsored legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to pressure the U.S. Postal Service to do more to address mail thefts.
The Upholding a Secure Postal System (USPS) Act (S.3107) would require the Comptroller General of the United States, who leads the Government Accountability Office, the investigative office for Congress, to submit a report to Congress on nationwide trends in mail theft and postal property.
“We must get a better handle on protecting our postal system from shameless porch pirates and the brazen thieves who target USPS drop boxes. This legislation will force the Postal Service to truly assess losses and threats to the sanctity of our postal system, while also giving Congress a clearer path forward to combat this growing problem,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.
“Mail theft has become a growing concern for Texans who depend on a reliable postal service. I am committed to restoring trust in the USPS by addressing the widespread theft of mail, and this bill will bring us one step closer to achieving that goal,” Senator Cruz said.
The USPS Act would require annual reports for five years that include measures the USPS has taken to combat theft and recommendations to the USPS and Congress on how to combat these issues. S.3107, which is also cosponsored by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), has been referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over postal service matters.
The USPS estimates that at least 58 million packages worth up to $16 billion were stolen in 2024, affecting as many as 58 million victims nationwide. A 2023 report issued by the USPS Office of the Inspector General on the organization’s response to mail theft that, among other things, indicated a need for greater accountability among managers and supervisors and requiring postal inspectors to complete In-Service Basic Mail Theft training.
Click here to learn more about reporting mail-related crimes to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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