U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa is demanding answers about a nearly three-year effort to transition the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) toward an all-electric fleet, despite her earlier call for canceling orders outright.
The program, championed by the Biden administration and funded through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, allocated $3 billion towards acquiring battery-powered NGDV delivery trucks. Ernst, who chairs the Senate’s DOE (Department of Energy) caucus in Iowa, previously expressed frustration with the slow pace, citing that only 612 NGDV trucks were operational by November 2025 after nearly $2.6 billion had been paid to Wisconsin-based defense contractor Oshkosh.
“We don’t know how to make a damn truck,” was reportedly one internal sentiment regarding the project’s difficulties, according to The Washington Post. Production began at just one truck per day and far lagged projections of up to 80 daily deliveries. One notable challenge highlighted was issues with leak tests causing water leaks in early NGDV prototypes.
Progress on the NGDV has been sluggish, leaving most routes relying heavily on Ford E-Transit vehicles or standard gasoline-powered trucks. While USPS reports deploying around 26,341 internal combustion engine delivery vehicles (including Mercedes Metris vans and Ram ProMasters) purchased more recently, and acknowledges orders for future gas models, the core of Ernst’s concern lies with the electric vehicle program.
In a letter sent to Sen. Joni Ernst discussing the NGDV shortfall, USPS Vice President Peter Pastre noted the deployment status without acknowledging the funding debate directly under this specific rubric.
Ernst’s office also released a statement reiterating their position on the matter: “spending $1.7 billion to produce only 612 EVs is a tremendous waste.”
She concluded her remarks, calling for cancellation of further taxpayer funding allocated by the administration specifically for this program.
