Federal Reports

In 2020, the Department of Energy implemented Department Order 486.1A, Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities (Order), which prohibits Department and Laboratory employees from participating in foreign Government-sponsored talent recruitment programs and restricts other foreign Government-sponsored activities or affiliated activities with a foreign country of risk.

We initiated this inspection to determine if the Department and its National Laboratories are complying with the Order.

We determined that the Department and its National Laboratories did not consistently comply with Department Order 486.1A requirements. Specifically, we found issues surrounding reporting disclosures, and the submission and review of quarterly disclosure reports. Additionally, we found that the Federal Oversight Advisory Body did not adhere to the Order.

If the Department and its National Laboratories are not consistently complying with the Order, then U.S. competitive and national security interests and Department program objectives may not be protected; potential conflicts of interest may arise; and the unauthorized transfers of scientific and technical information may occur.

We have made five recommendations that, if fully implemented, should help ensure that the issues identified in this report are corrected.
 

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide timely, reliable, secure, and affordable mail and package delivery to more than 160 million residential and business addresses across the country. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviews delivery operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback in furtherance of this mission. 

This interim report presents the results of our audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the O’Fallon Main Post Office (MPO) in O’Fallon, MO. We selected the St. Louis area based on a congressional inquiry issued April 1, 2025, from U.S. senators and representatives from Missouri to conduct an audit of post offices and distribution centers in the St. Louis metro area. The O’Fallon MPO is in the Kansas-Missouri (KS-MO) District of the Central Area and serves about 122,121 people in ZIP Codes 63366, 63367, and 63368 which are considered predominantly urban areas (see Figure 1). Specifically, 117,632 (96 percent) live in urban communities and 4,529 (four percent) live in rural communities.

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide timely, reliable, secure, and affordable mail and package delivery to more than 160 million residential and business addresses across the country. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews delivery operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback in furtherance of this mission. 

This interim report presents the results of our audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the Southwest Station in St. Louis, MO. We selected the St. Louis area based on a congressional inquiry issued April 1, 2025, from U.S. senators and representatives from Missouri to conduct an audit of post offices and distribution centers in the St. Louis metro area. The Southwest Station is in the Kansas-Missouri District of the Central Area and serves about 48,897 people in ZIP Codes 63109 and 63139, which are considered urban areas.

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide timely, reliable, secure, and affordable mail and package delivery to more than 160 million residential and business addresses across the country. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews delivery operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback in furtherance of this mission. 

This interim report presents the results of our audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the St. Charles Main Post Office in St. Charles, MO. We selected the St. Louis area based on a congressional inquiry issued April 1, 2025, from the U.S. senators and representatives from Missouri to conduct an audit of post offices and distribution centers in the St. Louis metro area. The St. Charles MPO is in the Kansas- Missouri District of the Central Area and serves about 50,902 people in ZIP Code 63301, which is considered a predominantly urban area. Specifically, 49,662 (98 percent) live in urban communities and 1,240 (2 percent) live in rural communities.1 The unit also services ZIP Code 63302 for Post Office Box routes.

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide timely, reliable, secure, and affordable mail and package delivery to more than 160 million residential and business addresses across the country. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews delivery operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback in furtherance of this mission. 

This interim report presents the results of our audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the Creve Coeur Branch in St. Louis, MO. We selected the St. Louis area based on a congressional inquiry issued April 1, 2025, from the U.S. senators and representatives from Missouri to conduct an audit of post offices and distribution centers in the St. Louis metro area. The Creve Coeur Branch is in the Kansas-Missouri District of the Central Area and serves about 33,550 people in ZIP Codes 63124 and 63141 which are considered urban communities.

The U.S. Postal Service needs effective and productive operations to fulfill its mission of providing prompt, reliable, and affordable mail service to the American public. It has a vast transportation network that moves mail and equipment among approximately 315 processing facilities and 31,200 post offices, stations, and branches. The Postal Service is transforming its processing and logistics networks to become more scalable, reliable, visible, efficient, automated, and digitally integrated. This includes modernizing operating plans and aligning the workforce; leveraging emerging technologies to provide world-class visibility and tracking of mail and packages in near real time; and optimizing the surface and air transportation network. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews the efficiency of mail processing operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback to further the Postal Service’s mission. 

This report presents the results of our audit of the efficiency of operations at the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center in St. Louis, MO. We selected the St. Louis area based on congressional inquiries from U.S. senators and representatives from Missouri and Illinois to conduct an audit of post offices and distribution centers in the St. Louis metro area.

The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide timely, reliable, secure, and affordable mail and package delivery to more than 160 million residential and business addresses across the country. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews delivery operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback in furtherance of this mission. 

This interim report presents the results of our audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the Maryville Gardens Station in St. Louis, MO. We selected the St. Louis area based on a congressional inquiry issued April 1, 2025, from U.S. senators and representatives from Missouri to conduct an audit of post offices and distribution centers in the St. Louis metro area. The Maryville Gardens Station is in the Kansas-Missouri District of the Central Area and serves ZIP Codes 63104, 63111, and 63118. These ZIP Codes serve about 63,912 people in predominantly urban communities.