PUSHING THE ENVELOPE BLOG

It’s not uncommon for Congress to ask for our testimony on matters affecting the U.S. Postal Service. In fact, just last Wednesday, November 16, Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb Hull appeared before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations for a timely hearing entitled, “ The Holiday Rush: Is the Postal Service Ready?” The first of five witnesses to testify, IG Hull briefed the subcommittee on our recent audit report, Fiscal Year 2023 Peak Season Preparedness — our annual review of the Po

Did you know the U.S. Postal Service has a legally mandated program that allows blind or other physically handicapped people to send and receive certain types of mail at no charge? Established more than a century ago — well before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 — the program is known as Free Matter for the Blind. What qualifies as Free Matter? Large-type (14-point or larger) documents, braille, audio recordings, and talking book players. When mailed domestically, Free Matter is to b

"Pushing the Envelope" wishes everyone a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

Did you ever wonder what happens to mail with an illegible address or that’s sent to someone who no longer lives at the address? The U.S. Postal Service refers to this mail as undeliverable as addressed, or UAA mail. What happens next depends on how the mail was sent, such as the mail class and what services were paid for. It could be forwarded, returned to sender, or treated as waste. While returning the mail to senders allows them to update the addresses, it is costly and inconvenient to both

When you run a business, you need to ensure the revenues from your products at least cover your cost of providing them. Pretty basic business principle. But for the U.S. Postal Service, it’s much more than that — it’s a legal requirement. Specifically, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 requires every postal product to earn enough to cover its costs. Sometimes, though, it’s not easy to determine if a business is factoring in the right data or correctly attributing expenses to