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Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding. The effort comes a year after the agency was honored for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet.

In June, the Senate parliamentarian blocked a Republican proposal in a major tax-and-spending bill to sell off the agency’s new electric vehicles and infrastructure and revoke remaining federal money. A 2022 University of Michigan study found the new electric postal vehicles could cut total greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 million tons over the predicted, cumulative 20-year lifetime of the trucks. But the rate at which the company that’s providing those vehicles is able to produce them, they are so far behind schedule, they will never be able to fulfill that contract,” Ernst said during a recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair, referring to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense.

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