The Biden administration’s much-hyped green fleet of electric mail trucks has turned into a multibillion-dollar boondoggle. After spending $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has managed to produce only 250 battery-powered electric vehicles — a tiny fraction of the 35,000 promised under the nearly $10 billion project funded partly by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“Biden’s multi-billion-dollar EV fleet for the USPS is lost in the mail and more than $1 billion is postmarked to order more,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said. “I am working to cancel the order and return the money to the sender, the American people.”
Production issues have plagued the project. The defense contractor Oshkosh, awarded $2.6 billion to manufacture the trucks, reportedly delivered just 93 vehicles by late 2024, far below its 3,000-vehicle target. Insiders say “airbag calibration” and “leak testing” issues caused delays, with one source admitting, “We don’t know how to make a damn truck.”
The cost per vehicle has reached nearly $78,000, while the USPS loses billions annually. President Trump called out USPS’s financial mismanagement, noting its $9.5 billion loss in fiscal year 2024: “[USPS has] been just a tremendous loser for this country.”
USPS says it has received over 1,000 next-gen vehicles, but only 250 are electric. The agency’s goal of full electrification by 2026 now appears far-fetched.
