USPS Office of Inspector General

Twenty years ago, E.R. was the number one TV show, Macarena topped the pop music charts, and Independence Day (the original) was the highest-grossing movie of the year. A stamp cost 32 cents, and, oh yes, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) was created.

On September 30, 1996, President Clinton signed the amended Inspector General Act of 1978 to establish a separate enforcement and oversight agency for the Postal Service, moving that responsibility to the newly created and fully independent OIG.

Pushing the Envelope wishes our readers a joyful holiday season and a prosperous new year. We will take a break this week, but we encourage you to read over the past year’s blogs and let us know what you think about any of the wide-ranging topics we covered in 2015. We post comments as they come in, even if you comment on a blog that ran years ago. 

On January 4 we will share our annual list of the Top 10 Postal Stories of the Year – one of our most popular blogs. As always, we look forward to your comments and insights.

Two times a year, we publish a chronicle of our work and activities for a just-ended 6-month period. This Semiannual Report to Congress (SARC) is required by the IG Act, but it’s also a chance for us to share a summary of work with our many stakeholders, including the public. The work reflects our mission to help maintain confidence in the postal system and improve the U.S. Postal Service’s bottom line and overall efficiency through independent audits, investigations, and research.