USPS inspector general seeks bigger OIG budget to pursue fraud, expand AI use
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Summary
Tammy Hull, inspector general for the U.S. Postal Service, told the House Appropriations subcommittee the OIG needs a $306.7 million FY2026 appropriation (funded by USPS, not taxes) to expand investigations, address a backlog of leads and build independent service‑validation tools that use AI.
Tammy Hull, inspector general for the United States Postal Service, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government that her office needs more funding to pursue fraud, validate service metrics and use artificial intelligence more broadly.
"For fiscal year 2026, we originally asked for a budget of $306,700,000 — all of which would be funded by the Postal Service and not tax revenues," Hull said in opening testimony. "We've identified more than a hundred thousand potentially actionable leads that we do not have the resources to address."
Hull described the OIG as a "data driven, tech forward organization" that balances analytics with field work: "Technology does not investigate crime. It does not arrest people." She said the OIG is increasingly using AI and large‑language tools to organize customer complaints and triage leads, enabling teams to find theft hot spots and fraud patterns more quickly.
Why it matters: Hull told lawmakers the OIG identifies roughly $13 in recoveries for every dollar spent on its budget and that funding constraints have forced layoffs and reduced auditors and investigators by more than 10 percent. Committee members raised concerns that fewer investigators means fewer arrests, slower audits and more unresolved fraud that harms customers and the Postal Service's finances.
Members pressed Hull on concrete shortfalls. Ranking Member Steny Hoyer asked what the continuing resolution at FY2024 levels cost the OIG; Hull said staffing is down more than 10 percent and that investigators and auditors were the most affected groups. Hull estimated the OIG returns roughly $1 billion annually on the audit side and about $250 million on the investigative side but offered to provide exact figures for the record.
Hull requested funding not only to increase investigative capacity but to develop independent service‑validation tools that can check Postal Service performance metrics. She told the subcommittee that additional resources would allow the OIG to build rapid‑response tools and expand data‑driven quick‑response teams.
Ending: Hull closed by urging Congress to consider the OIG request to ensure the office can keep up with sophisticated criminal schemes and the Postal Service's operational changes. The subcommittee permitted written testimony into the record; members may submit follow‑up questions for the record.
