WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley announced Tuesday that he has launched an investigation into ongoing mail service problems in Missouri, potential criminal activity involving abandoned mail and bonus payments awarded to executives at the United States Postal Service.

According to Hawley's office, the investigation follows his questioning of Postmaster General David Steiner during a recent hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Hawley questioned Steiner about executive bonus payments while Missouri residents continue to experience delayed and undelivered mail.

Hawley's office said Steiner declined during the hearing and in subsequent communications to return the bonus payment.

The senator said he has requested documents and communications from the Postal Service as part of the investigation, which he said is intended to examine mail service failures, allegations involving abandoned mail and executive compensation practices.

No additional details about the scope or timeline of the investigation were immediately released.

Senator Hawley wrote, “I received your letter dated June 25, 2026, and I am disappointed that your response to our exchange at a recent committee hearing was to shift blame rather than focus on solutions. You also failed to address the concerning issue of massive bonuses for Postmasters General and executives at the United States Postal Service (USPS). As a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which has jurisdiction over USPS, and as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which has jurisdiction over postal crimes, my office is launching a new congressional investigation into systematic service failures in Missouri, possible criminal activity, and bonuses for executives at USPS.“

As part of his investigation into mail service issues, Hawley pointed to several recent examples that he said demonstrate ongoing problems with mail delivery in Missouri.

According to Hawley's office, the examples include a large quantity of abandoned mail discovered in north St. Louis in April 2026 and multiple audits by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Those audits found that millions of pieces of mail were delayed at major Postal Service processing and distribution centers in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Hawley said the incidents underscore concerns about the Postal Service's ability to provide timely and reliable mail delivery to Missouri residents and businesses

Hawley stated, “At the same time, you and your executive team are receiving payouts that make you some of the highest paid federal employees. Even a cursory look at public filings reveals millions in non-salary compensation provided to you and your predecessors over the past 10 years, with other senior leadership raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional compensation per year. At the same time, public reports suggest you have retained restructuring consultants from a top-dollar New York firm, no doubt scouring for costs to cut. Your bonus should be an easy place to start. You seem to operate under the misapprehension that you are entitled to some kind of special deference. In fact, it’s the people of Missouri that are entitled to something: you doing your job.”

The letter to the postmaster from Senator Hawley is shared in its entirety here:

Dear Postmaster General Steiner:

When I showed you the photograph of thousands of pieces of dumped mail discovered in North St. Louis on April 29, 2026, you testified: “This is the first time I’ve heard about it.” When I pressed you on the broader collapse of service in my state, you asked me, “what mail?” It is unbelievable to me that this episode—subject of major press coverage and apparent criminal activity affecting thousands of residents—did not reach your desk by the time of our Senate hearing, given that your offices fielded inquiries from congressional staff.

This is just one example. Missouri has been saddled with poor service for years. When I asked the Inspector General last year to audit the St. Louis distribution center, she told me it was the worst case of failed on-time delivery they had seen in field operations reviews. Another recent audit for Kansas City found that there were nearly 100,000 delayed pieces of mail over a three-day inspection. Your current on-time delivery targets mean that you can miss nearly one piece of mail in ten and still grade yourself a success—and in 2024 and 2025 you were hitting even that low bar in Missouri only about 76 percent of the time.

Despite your claims of recent improvements, my office continues to field a constant stream of constituent complaints about protracted delays and major service problems. This includes chronic delivery challenges in rural Missouri, which continues to suffer the downstream effects of the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) Plan, which I requested you fully terminate in my letter to you of August 5, 2025.

At the same time, you and your executive team are receiving payouts that make you some of the highest paid federal employees. Even a cursory look at public filings reveals millions in non-salary compensation provided to you and your predecessors over the past 10 years, with other senior leadership raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional compensation per year. At the same time, public reports suggest you have retained restructuring consultants from a top-dollar New York firm, no doubt scouring for costs to cut. Your bonus should be an easy place to start. You seem to operate under the misapprehension that you are entitled to some kind of special deference. In fact, it’s the people of Missouri that are entitled to something: you doing your job.

So that Congress can consider remedial action, please provide the documents, communications, and written responses identified in Annex I below to my office by no later than July 15, 2026.

Sincerely,

Josh Hawley

United States Senator

About the Postmaster General

According to the United States Postal Service's biographical information on its website, David (Dave) Steiner is the 76th Postmaster General of the United States and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Postal Service. He was appointed by the organization’s Board of Governors and began his tenure on July 15, 2025. In his role as Postmaster General, Steiner also serves on the Board of Governors.

Steiner is the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Waste Management, a $20.4 billion revenue waste and environmental services company operating throughout North America, with nearly 50,000 employees. He was CEO from 2004 until 2016.

Joining Waste Management in 2000, Steiner quickly rose to become general counsel, then chief financial officer and finally CEO. Under his leadership, Waste Management transformed its operations and culture. Steiner is credited with delivering strong financial results and repositioning the company as a leader in the recycling sector. Earlier in his career, Steiner was a partner in the law firm of Phelps Dunbar.

Prior to joining the Postal Service he held several board of director positions, including lead independent director of FedEx, and director at Vulcan Materials Company, both publicly traded, and director of AMP, a privately held, artificial-intelligence-powered recycling industry automation firm.

He was previously a director of TE Connectivity, a technology manufacturing firm. He currently serves on several nonprofit and educational boards, including the E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University.

Steiner received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and earned his juris doctor from the UCLA School of Law.