Thursday, April 9, 2026
Link Extra
USPS begins cash conservation plan
Temporarily suspends payments to Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
The Postal Service has informed the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of its intention to temporarily suspend its employer’s contributions for the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to conserve cash and preserve liquidity due to its ongoing, severe financial crisis.
“There will not be any immediate detrimental impact to our current or future retirees if normal FERS cost payments are temporarily withheld,” said Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Luke Grossmann. “The risk to the Postal Service and the American public from insufficient liquidity for postal operations dramatically outweighs any longer-term risk to the pension funds from not making the currently due payments. We will continue to transmit to OPM employees’ contributions to FERS and will also continue to transmit employer automatic and matching contributions and employee contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan. It must be noted that our pension systems remain much better funded than other agencies.”
The Postal Service pays about $200 million every other week to OPM for the FERS annuity. Suspension of payments, effective April 10, will free about $2.5 billion in the current fiscal year.
More details are available in the FERS action FAQ.
Do you want to be a postal inspector?
The Inspection Service begins taking applications April 14
The Postal Inspection Service is accepting applications through its hiring portal from Tuesday, April 14, through Thursday, April 23.
Postal inspectors are federal law enforcement officers who protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail while safeguarding USPS employees and customers.
Postal inspectors enforce more than 200 laws to combat drug trafficking, money laundering, threats, cybercrime, and identity and financial fraud, among other illegal activities. They also help prevent dangerous and hazardous substances from being sent through the mail.
An applicant must:
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident;
• Meet the physical requirements;
• Possess a four-year degree from an accredited academic institution — exceptions apply for veterans with equivalent experience;
• Be willing to travel;
• Be between the ages of 21 and 37; and
• Have no felony or domestic violence convictions.
Recent classes of new postal inspectors have included military veterans, USPS employees, Inspection Service contractors, law enforcement officers and private sector employees.
The Inspection Service’s website has more information.
Lowriders stamps get a prime spot at USPS HQ
The building’s lobby windows display images of the five customized cars
The ground-floor windows of USPS headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC, are now displaying five large images of the recently released Lowriders stamps.
Each one is 16.5 feet tall and wide and faces onto the plaza from the lobby windows.
A QR code on each image directs to a recent post on the Stamps Forever website exploring the roots of lowrider car culture as well as why Antonio Alcalá, an art director with USPS, felt it was important to use photography as the medium for the stamps.
The five cars featured are “Eight Figures,” a blue 1958 Chevrolet Impala; “The Golden Rose,” an orange 1964 Chevrolet Impala; “Pocket Change,” a green 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme; “Let the Good Times Roll/Soy Como Soy,” a blue 1946 Chevrolet Fleetline; and “El Rey,” a red 1963 Chevrolet Impala.
“Response from the public has been overwhelmingly positive,” Angela Bradley-Foxx, a retail product specialist, said of the display, “particularly from the automotive communities.”
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April 16, 2026
Datebook
‘Time Management Strategies’
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on learning to better manage their time.
The session, “Time Management Strategies,” will be held Thursday, April 16, at 2 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from DeVry University will lead the webinar.
Participants must register before the event on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
Cybersecurity training for contractors is due by June 6
Postal Service contractors must complete a cybersecurity training course by Saturday, June 6.
The 2026 CyberSafe Fundamentals for Contractors course covers the skills, knowledge, best practices and policies contractors need to know to keep USPS electronic data secure.
Contractors who do not complete the training will have limited access to ACE systems, starting June 12, until the course is completed.
There is a one-time test-out option available. Those who score 100 percent on the test do not have to take the training.
In the days leading up to the deadline, Outlook calendar holds will be added to the calendars of contractors who have not finished the course.
The course is available through the USPS Learning Management System.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue page has more information.
Contractors with questions can email the CyberSafe at USPS team.
Central Area, South Carolina District on top in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.27 percent during the week ending April 3, down 0.26 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected April 8.
Central led the four areas with a rating of 97.32 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 97.17 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts, South Carolina, part of Southern Area, ranked first with a 98.43 percent rating, while Puerto Rico, also part of Southern Area, ranked last with a 94.26 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.
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Link Extra
USPS begins cash conservation plan
Temporarily suspends payments to Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
-
Do you want to be a postal inspector?
The Inspection Service begins taking applications April 14
-
Lowriders stamps get a prime spot at USPS HQ
The building’s lobby windows display images of the five customized cars
-
April16Datebook
‘Time Management Strategies’
-
Brief
Cybersecurity training for contractors is due by June 6
-
Brief
Central Area, South Carolina District on top in scanning