Wyden Presses Trump Administration Over USPS Changes Jeopardizing Americans’ Tax Returns, Mail-In Ballots

Wyden Presses Trump Administration Over USPS Changes Jeopardizing Americans' Tax Returns, Mail-In Ballots

Senator says recent postmarking rule change and consolidation of processing facilities will result in delays for tax returns and mail-in ballots in consequential election year

Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed the Trump administration over how its recent postmarking rule change and consolidation of mail processing facilities will undermine the timing of Americans' tax returns and mail-in ballots.

"Donald Trump and Republicans will stop at nothing to suppress the rights of Americans to make their voices heard this November," Wyden said. "Between Trump's feverish attempts to coerce Congress into passing the SAVE Act, and now his kneecapping of the U.S. Postal Service, the American people have no choice but to see these efforts as a politically-motivated attempt to interfere in Oregon's safe and secure vote-by-mail system during a consequential election year."

Late last year, the U.S. Postal Service finalized new guidance regarding its postmarking rules. This coupled with the closure of mail processing facilities under the Postal Service's "Regional Transportation Optimization" (RTO) initiative will result in the delay of items being postmarked and processed, particularly in rural areas. Currently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and election officials in more than a dozen states rely on postmarks to determine whether a tax return or ballot has been received on time.

"Voters in my state of Oregon have for 30 years relied on the USPS to cast their ballots with confidence knowing their votes will be counted in a timely manner," Wyden wrote in his letter to Postmaster General David Steiner. "These network changes and corresponding postmarking delays may jeopardize timely ballot delivery in 2026, disenfranchising voters in Oregon and nationwide."

Wyden also expressed concerns that the Trump administration's failure to alert the public to these changes is a politically-calculated attempt to delay and invalidate tax returns and mail-in ballots during a consequential election year.

Wyden requested a response to the following questions from Postmaster Steiner:

1. What is the status of the Regional Transportation Optimization Initiative (RTO) under the Delivering for America plan?
2. Which regions has RTO already been implemented? Specifically, which ZIP codes and approximately how many customers are subject to RTO?
3. Which regions have been planned for RTO, but it has not yet been implemented? Specifically, which ZIP codes and customers will be impacted? Does USPS plan to implement RTO in any of these ZIP codes during 2026?
4. Will the Postal Service consider suspending or otherwise altering RTO during the election season?
5. What specific outreach has USPS undertaken to familiarize the public with these changes? Please provide examples of the specific public-facing documentation USPS has provided regarding this guidance change.
6. The November 2025 Federal Register notice stated that the "Postal Service is developing an approach to provide public and internal education regarding postmarking." Please provide details of that approach.
7. How does USPS plan to communicate these changes to the public to protect voters from unintended consequences?
8. Has USPS worked with state and local elections officials to provide awareness about these changes?
9. How is USPS ensuring uniform implementation of this rulemaking across retail locations and processing facilities?
10. What steps are being taken to prevent delays that could affect ballot eligibility or the on-time filing of tax returns?
11. Did USPS consult any IRS or Treasury Department officials about the implications of this policy change for tax filing? If so, what input did they provide?
12. When does the Postal Service intend to organize its National Election Mail Taskforce force this year?
13. Does USPS commit to implement its "extraordinary measures" for the 2026 midterm elections? Does USPS intend to alter or supplement these measures when compared with prior elections?

The full letter can be found here.

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