Background

The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, as amended, established the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors (Board), which is generally comprised of nine Governors appointed by the president of the United States, the postmaster general (PMG), and the deputy postmaster general. During fiscal year (FY) 2025, the Board’s composition changed from seven Governors to five Governors, as two Governors left and were not replaced. Additionally, the Postal Service hired a new PMG. Governors receive a salary of $30,000 a year, plus $300 a day for meeting fees, and are reimbursed for travel and reasonable expenses incurred to attend Board meetings. In FY 2025, the Board incurred $931,829 in salaries, travel, meeting fees, and professional services expenses. The Office of the Board of Governors’ policy requires annual audits of the Board’s expenses.

What We Did

Our objective was to determine whether the Board’s expenditures were properly supported, reasonable, and complied with Postal Service and Office of the Board policies and procedures. We reviewed all payments made to Governors for salaries and meeting fees, totaling $214,217, as well as 110 of 328 Board expenditures, totaling $693,225 of $717,612.

What We Found

We found three Governors were underpaid a total of $1,200 for four meetings, and two Governors were incorrectly omitted from meeting records that support payments. The Board office corrected all issues and paid the amounts owed. In addition, we identified expenditures that could be considered excessive. Specifically, three room rates ranged from $600 to $900 per night, and seven catered breakfasts ranged from $900 to $1,200 for only seven attendees per event.

Recommendations and Management’s Comments

We made two recommendations to address the issues identified in the report. Postal Service management agreed with the recommendations. Management’s comments and our evaluation are at the end of each finding and recommendation. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General considers management’s comments responsive.