Ohio Lawmakers Call for Halt of USPS Fleet Contract

Three Ohio lawmakers have written a letter to President Biden criticizing the United States Postal Services’ (USPS) awarding of its fleet contract to OshKosh Defense. Representatives Tim Ryan and Marcy Kaptur and Senator Sherrod Brown urged Biden to halt the contract until a review “on whether inappropriate political influence was involved in the decision and whether the contract is consistent with Bident’s calls for an electrification of federal vehicles.”

At a House Oversight Committee hearing, Postmaster Louis DeJoy said only 10% of the postal truck fleet would be electric, and the USPS did not have the “3 or 4 extra billion dollars” it would take to substantially electrify the fleet.

Under the initial contract, OshKosh Defense will build 50,000 to 165,000 postal service vehicles over a span of 10 years.

Biden has committed to upgrade the federal fleet with electric vehicles made in the U.S.

Ohio-based electric vehicle manufacturer Workhorse Group was passed over for the contract. In a release on Feb. 24, Workhorse said it has requested additional information and “intends to explore all avenues available to non-awarded finalists in a government bidding process.”

On March 3, FedEx announced that by 2040, the entire FedEx parcel pickup and delivery fleet will be zero–emission electric vehicles.

Originally posted on Government Fleet