    [Senate Hearing 117-408]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                            S. Hrg. 117-408

                         NOMINATIONS OF KIRAN A. AHUJA,
            ANTON A. HAJJAR, AMBER F. McREYNOLDS, AND RONALD STROMAN

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                                  COMMITTEE ON
                   HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION
                                   __________

             NOMINATION OF KIRAN A. AHUJA TO BE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF
                   PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, AND ANTON A. HAJJAR,
     AMBER F. MCREYNOLDS, AND RONALD STROMAN TO BE GOVERNORS, U.S. POSTAL
                                    SERVICE
                                   __________

                                 APRIL 22, 2021

            Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov

                           Printed for the use of the
            Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

                      [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                        U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    45-983 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2022

            COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                       GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
    THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware           ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
    MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire         RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
    KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              RAND PAUL, Kentucky
    JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
    ALEX PADILLA, California             MITT ROMNEY, Utah
    JON OSSOFF, Georgia                  RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                         JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri

                       David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
                        Zachary I. Schram, Chief Counsel
                          Claudine J. Brenner, Counsel
                Annika W. Christensen, Professional Staff Member
                    Pamela Thiessen, Minority Staff Director
        Andrew Dockham, Minority Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director
                        Meredith Pohl, Minority Counsel
             Jeff A. Post, Minority Senior Profesional Staff Member
               Andrew J. Timm, Minority Professional Staff Member
                         Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
                         Thomas J. Spino, Hearing Clerk

                                C O N T E N T S

                                     ------
    Opening statements:
                                                                       Page
        Senator Peters...............................................     1
        Senator Portman..............................................     5
        Senator Hassan...............................................    17
        Senator Johnson..............................................    19
        Senator Lankford.............................................    21
        Senator Padilla..............................................    24
        Senator Hawley...............................................    27
        Senator Ossoff...............................................    29
        Senator Carper...............................................    31
        Senator Rosen................................................    33
    Prepared statements:
        Senator Peters...............................................    37
        Senator Portman..............................................    39

                                   WITNESSES
                            Thursday, April 22, 2021

    Kiran A. Ahuja to be Director, Office of Personnel Management
        Testimony....................................................     3
        Prepared statement...........................................    40
        Biographical and professional information....................    43
        Letter from U.S. Office of Government Ethics.................    62
        Responses to pre-hearing questions...........................    66
        Responses to post-hearing questions..........................    88
        Letters of support...........................................   100
    Anton A. Hajjar to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service
        Testimony....................................................     6
        Prepared statement...........................................   104
        Biographical and professional information....................   107
        Letter from U.S. Office of Government Ethics.................   126
        Responses to pre-hearing questions...........................   131
        Responses to post-hearing questions..........................   147
        Opposition letter............................................   159
    Amber F. McReynolds to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service
        Testimony....................................................     8
        Prepared statement...........................................   161
        Biographical and professional information....................   163
        Letter from U.S. Office of Government Ethics.................   194
        Responses to pre-hearing questions...........................   199
        Responses to post-hearing questions..........................   217
    Ronald Stroman to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service
        Testimony....................................................    10
        Prepared statement...........................................   231
        Biographical and professional information....................   233
        Letter from U.S. Office of Government Ethics.................   251
        Responses to pre-hearing questions...........................   256
        Responses to post-hearing questions..........................   275

                         NOMINATIONS OF KIRAN A. AHUJA,
            ANTON A. HAJJAR, AMBER F. McREYNOLDS, AND RONALD STROMAN

                                  ----------

                            THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

                                         U.S. Senate,
                               Committee on Homeland Security
                                      and Governmental Affairs,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:16 a.m., via
    Webex and in room SD-342, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon.
    Gary C. Peters, Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
        Present: Senators Peters, Carper, Hassan, Sinema, Rosen,
    Padilla, Ossoff, Portman, Johnson, Lankford, Scott, and Hawley.

                OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PETERS\1\

        Chairman Peters. The Committee will come to order.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The prepared statement of Senator Peters appear in the Appendix
    on page 37.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Today we are considering the nominations of Kiran Ahuja to
    be Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and
    Anton Hajjar, Amber McReynolds, and Ron Stroman to be members
    of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors.
        Welcome to all of you. Thank you for joining us here today,
    and certainly congratulations on your nominations. Thank you
    for your willingness to serve in these roles to help ensure our
    government is working efficiently as well as effectively for
    the American people.
        Ms. Ahuja, if confirmed as Director of the Office of
    Personnel Management, you will not only lead an agency of
    several thousand employees, but also serve as the Chief Human
    Resources Officer (CHRO) to millions of hardworking and
    dedicated public servants all across our government.
        Over the last few years, OPM and our Federal workforce have
    faced many challenges.
        This is an incredibly important position, and I believe
    your extensive public service experience, including as Chief of
    Staff at OPM, have prepared you well to lead this agency at
    what is, undoubtedly, a pivotal time for employees at OPM and
    throughout the Federal Government.
        As you and I have discussed in the past, our Nation's civil
    service requires an experienced, independent leader who can
    rebuild confidence in OPM and provide a hopeful, innovative
    vision for the future of the Federal workforce.
        Our dedicated public servants are on the front line,
    responding to an ongoing pandemic, protecting our national
    security, and delivering vital services to the American people
    each and every day. I look forward to hearing more about how
    you plan to lead this critical agency.
        Mr. Hajjar, Mr. Stroman, and Ms. McReynolds, if confirmed,
    you will help lead the U.S. Postal Service, an essential public
    service for nearly 250 years, that countless Americans rely on
    for affordable and for reliable delivery of medications,
    financial documents, for running their small businesses, and so
    much more.
        As you all know, the Postal Service and its dedicated
    workers continue facing unique challenges that have been
    compounded by the ongoing pandemic. And last year we saw
    service standards fall dramatically due to changes that were
    made without consulting Congress or even studying their
    possible effects.
        Though the current situation has improved, the Postal
    Service continues to face enormous challenges in providing
    timely delivery and planning for its future.
        Given these challenges, it is essential that nominees to
    the Board of Governors are qualified leaders who will focus on
    service and work with Congress to ensure that our postal
    workforce has the right support to deliver for the American
    people each and every day.
        Mr. Hajjar, as a legal expert who has worked extensively on
    labor-management relations, you have a strong knowledge of how
    to forge compromises and understand the unique challenges faced
    by the Postal Service's large and diverse workforce.
        Ms. McReynolds, as the chief executive of a nonprofit and
    former senior local government official, you are a proven
    leader who has experience working with a variety of stakeholder
    groups. From our conversations, it is clear to me that you are
    knowledgeable on how the Postal Service works with States,
    clients, and constituents to deliver mail all across our
    country.
        Mr. Stroman, you are a lifelong public servant, and as
    former Deputy Postmaster General (PMG), you have deep
    operational knowledge of the Postal Service. You also have an
    extensive record of working across the aisle as the former head
    of Government Relations.
        All of you have diverse and extensive leadership, public
    service, and legal experience that have prepared you to take on
    this new and challenging role, bring fresh perspectives, and
    address the challenges that the Postal Service faces.
        I look forward to hearing more from each of you about your
    vision for improving the Postal Service, increasing
    accountability, and working to ensure that every American,
    including veterans, small business owners, rural residents,
    underserved communities, and seniors, can count on the Postal
    Service.
        With that, I am going to move to swearing in witnesses.
    Ranking Member Portman will be here shortly. He will be giving
    an opening statement when he arrives. But we will move forward
    with the hearing now.
        It is the practice of this Committee to swear in witnesses,
    so if each of you will stand and raise your right hand, please.
    Do you swear that the testimony that you will give before this
    Committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
    the truth, so help you, God?
        Ms. Ahuja. I do.
        Mr. Hajjar. I do.
        Ms. McReynolds. I do.
        Mr. Stroman. I do.
        Chairman Peters. All of you have answered affirmatively.
    Thank you. You may be seated.
        Our first nominee is Kiran Ahuja, who is nominated to be
    Director of the Office of Personnel Management. Ms. Ahuja
    currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
    Philanthropy Northwest, a regional network of philanthropic
    institutions. After starting her career as a civil rights
    lawyer through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Honors
    Program, Ms. Ahuja went on to hold several leadership roles in
    government and in the nonprofit sector. Her public service
    includes serving as the founding executive director of the
    National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, Executive
    Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and
    Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI), and as Chief of Staff at OPM.
        Welcome to the Committee. You may proceed with your opening
    remarks.

       TESTIMONY OF KIRAN A. AHUJA,\1\ TO BE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF
                          PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Chairman Peters, Ranking Member
    Portman, and Members of this Committee, for your gracious
    welcome. It is an honor to be considered by this Committee as
    President Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of
    Personnel Management.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Ahuja appears in the Appendix on
    page 40.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        I want to take a moment to recognize my husband, Javier
    Guzman, who I am pleased to have here with me today and to whom
    I owe a deal of gratitude for his ongoing support and
    encouragement.
        Finally, I want to thank the Members of the Committee and
    their staff for taking the time to meet with me. If I am
    fortunate enough to be confirmed, I look forward to continuing
    our conversations and strengthening the relationship between
    OPM and this Committee.
        It is with a degree of humility that I appear before you
    today. I am the daughter of Indian immigrants and very much a
    product of the American dream. My family came to this country
    in the early 1970s when I was 2 years old. My father was a
    trained psychiatrist who accepted an opportunity to serve in
    rural hospitals across the South at a time when there was great
    need and demand. My childhood was spent in small towns and
    cities across Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida where I learned
    how to build bridges with people from all walks of life. Those
    formative years were challenging at times, but thankfully, they
    also taught me adaptability, perseverance, resilience, and a
    sense of purpose that has informed and guided me every day
    since.
        After graduating from Spelman College, a historically Black
    college (HBCU) in Atlanta, Georgia, and the University of
    Georgia School of Law, I answered an early call to public
    service beginning my career as a trial attorney at the U.S.
    Department of Justice through the Department's Honors Program.
    I went on to lead mission-oriented organizations of all sizes
    in the nonprofit and public sectors. This included a return to
    public service, first as the Executive Director of the White
    House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
    responsible for increasing access to and participation in
    Federal programs, and later as Chief of Staff at the Office of
    Personnel Management.
        During my time at OPM, I had the opportunity to witness
    firsthand the commitment, hard work, and dedication of the OPM
    staff and the Federal workforce. I worked alongside individuals
    who take very seriously their oath of public office and work
    every day to successfully fulfill their agency's mission. I
    believe people are and should be at the center of all policy
    decisions, and if I were fortunate enough to be confirmed, I
    would carry forward this guiding principle while working in
    service to the American public.
        If confirmed, I pledge to protect our merit system
    principles, a bedrock of our civil service. It would be my
    mission to serve and support Federal employees and to restore,
    rebuild, and retool the Federal workforce. OPM will need to
    innovate to meet the modern needs of agencies with respect to
    recruitment, hiring, retention, engagement, and performance
    management. Of course, OPM also needs to honor Federal retirees
    by providing them the high level of service they deserve. OPM
    cannot do this alone, and if confirmed, I am committed to
    working with government partners--including Congress--to ensure
    OPM has the support and resources necessary to fulfill its
    mission and that the agency is held accountable to its
    obligations.
        As I reflect upon the examples my parents set, I think
    about their extraordinary journey, work ethic, and commitment
    to underserved communities in Savannah, Georgia. My parents
    began their lives as refugees following the Partition of India,
    and despite all odds, my father obtained his medical degree. My
    father worked well into his later years, including starting a
    medical clinic for underserved Georgians in the inner city of
    Savannah. My mother also worked at the clinic. Though not a
    doctor, she was the heart and soul of the operation and fully
    embraced her role as a servant for public good. They also so
    embraced the culture and diversity of America that even during
    my mother's retirement, she taught country line dancing at the
    senior center. My Dad and the other husbands sat in chairs
    along the side of the room, while the women had a blast on the
    dance floor. I still get text messages from some of her
    students. And though they have both passed away, I hope their
    examples live on through my own commitment to public service
    and community engagement.
        If confirmed, it would be an honor and the privilege of my
    professional career to return again to public service as OPM's
    Director. I thank the Committee for considering my nomination,
    and I look forward to working with you all.
        I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you
    very much.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ms. Ahuja. Thank you so much
    for the opening comments.
        Prior to moving to our other nominees and their opening
    statements, Ranking Member Portman, if you would wish to make
    an opening statement.

                OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR PORTMAN\1\

        Senator Portman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I really
    appreciate it. I apologize for being late. We have two hearings
    going on at the same time right now and three or four other
    things, and so I will keep my opening statement short except to
    say I enjoyed talking with all four of you, and I appreciate
    your willingness to serve. As I told you in our conversations,
    I think you are coming forward at a very consequential time.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The prepared statement of Senator Portman appears in the
    Appendix on page 39.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        We talked to Ms. Ahuja about the issues that affect the
    Office of Personnel Management right now, and we talked a
    little about some of your work previously in the cyber attacks
    and information privacy issues as well as just the need for us
    to deal with what the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
    has identified every year consistently as one of our huge
    challenges as a country, how to get our Federal workforce
    motivated and improve morale.
        The OPM role in everything to do with human resources (HR)
    is important, but you are also providing technical guidance and
    support to agencies on a number of issues, including
    performance evaluation, development of workers, and overseeing
    the benefits program, of course, for millions of Federal
    employees. So it is an incredibly important time, and I look
    forward to your opportunity to answer some more questions today
    in addition to what we talked about in person.
        The Board of Governors for the Postal Service is, as we
    talked about, kind of the board of directors for a private
    company. That is maybe the closest comparison. I know it is
    part-time, but I know it is also a huge time commitment, and
    all of you have had experience in one way or another touching
    on this issue.
        Ms. McReynolds, with regard to mail-in ballots--and I
    appreciated our conversation and the nonpartisan way in which
    you have approached that issue. All of you in terms of your
    experience, Mr. Stroman probably the most experienced of any
    Board member in recent history, having worked at the Postal
    Service in various ways, including as Deputy. Of course, Mr.
    Hajjar, your work on the legal front, including working with
    the Postal Service Union.
        So we have a lot of challenges, $87 billion in losses over
    the past 14 years, now more than $150 billion in unfunded
    liabilities, at the same time providing high-quality mail and
    package services to all Americans remains absolutely vital, and
    I know you understand that. So if confirmed, you are going to
    have a challenging road and a lot of tough issues. We will try
    to help you with some of those. Should you be confirmed, I know
    that the Chairman and I want to work on some of these issues as
    they related to legislative changes, but you are going to have
    a lot to do, including rate issues, on the Board, and we thank
    you again for your willingness to step up and look forward to
    the continued questions here today and the opportunity to move
    these confirmations forward.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman.
        Our second nominee is Anton Hajjar, to be Governor of the
    U.S. Postal Service. Mr. Hajjar has dedicated his life to the
    law. He currently serves on the Council of the American Law
    Institute where he advises as an expert on employment law,
    corporate governance, contracts, and property. He has practiced
    and held leadership roles at the firms Murphy Anderson and
    O'Donnell, Schwartz & Anderson, and he has a strong record of
    fighting for workers, including the hardworking, dedicated men
    and women of the Postal Service. His public service includes
    work on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as a
    merchant seaman with the Military Sea Lift Command, and early
    in his career as a customs inspector.
        Welcome to the Committee. You may proceed with your opening
    comments.

     TESTIMONY OF ANTON A. HAJJAR,\1\ TO BE GOVERNOR, U.S. POSTAL
                                SERVICE

        Mr. Hajjar. Thank you, Chairman Peters, Ranking Member
    Portman, and honorable Members of this Committee. Thank you for
    the privilege of appearing before you in connection with my
    nomination to be a Governor of the U.S. Postal Service.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Hajjar appears in the Appendix on
    page 104.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        At the outset, I want to extend my gratitude to my wife,
    Sandra. She has been most patient with my many distractions
    during the confirmation process while she has been recovering
    from knee replacement surgery, and to my children, Claire and
    Greg, who cared for Sandra while I was not available.
        I would like to tell the Committee about my background and
    qualifications for this important role. I am the oldest of six
    children raised in a working-class family and the only person
    in my family to attend college. From an early age, my parents
    instilled in me the value of hard work. If my parents were
    still alive, I know they would be proud to see me appearing
    here today.
        My interest in the Postal Service started at an early age
    when I was hired as a summer substitute letter carrier in high
    school. I was assigned to the Dyker Heights Station in
    Brooklyn, New York, serving in the same neighborhood where Dr.
    Anthony Fauci was raised. I was initiated into the ranks of
    letter carriers when I was bitten by a dog and needed medical
    treatment. I do not mention this lightly. Dog bites are a
    serious hazard for letter carriers.
        After college, I worked for 3 years as a U.S. customs
    inspector assigned to the Bush Docks in Brooklyn. I also spent
    time working in factories, driving a truck and a taxi, serving
    as a hospital attendant and a janitor, among many other jobs. I
    was also a seaman in the United States Merchant Marine for a
    year.
        Each of these roles exposed me to a wide variety of
    backgrounds and gave me a deep respect for working people.
    Based on my career path, it seemed almost inevitable that I
    would end up as a labor lawyer.
        Upon graduating from Tulane Law School, I had the high
    honor of clerking for the eminent Judge John Minor Wisdom of
    the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, who was renowned
    for his groundbreaking civil rights opinions.
        After my clerkship, I worked for the New Orleans field
    office of the National Labor Relations Board. For over 3 years,
    my work took me throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and
    the Florida Panhandle. In 1982, I went into private legal
    practice representing employees and unions.
        Gradually my work focused mostly on the American Postal
    Workers Union (APWU). The APWU was and still is one of the
    largest postal unions, with over 200,000 members today. My
    decades of experience with the APWU exposed me to a broad
    spectrum of postal regulatory and legal issues from ratemaking
    to operations.
        My career also gave me important insight into the postal
    workforce, which is one of the most dedicated and skilled in
    the Nation. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
    has been a reminder that we are fortunate to have postal
    employees delivering for Americans every day.
        We know that the USPS provides stable, middle-class jobs in
    every community across the country. But to me, the crowning
    achievement of the USPS is its diversity. For many
    underrepresented communities, including minorities, women, and
    veterans, the USPS is the first rung on the ladder of economic
    opportunity. Investing in this workforce will ensure that a new
    generation of Americans finds their opportunity in the Postal
    Service.
        Certainly, the Postal Service faces huge challenges,
    particularly when it comes to declining mail volume and the
    need to be self-sustaining. One thing of which I am certain is
    that people care about the mail. When the residents in my
    apartment building learn that the mail is in, we all congregate
    around the mailroom. I have heard plenty of complaints and have
    had a few bad experiences myself. But these complaints are not
    bitter; rather, they sound disappointed. There is a vast
    reservoir of good will toward the Postal Service, and I think
    we can all agree that the Postal Service must make it a
    priority to keep the trust of the American people before all
    else.
        Despite the challenges facing the USPS, there are also
    incredible opportunities to grow the business and service to
    the American people. I am pleased that the Postmaster General's
    recently released 10-year plan protects 6-day delivery and
    seeks to find new ways to utilize technology, expand services,
    and invest in the career workforce. I am concerned about other
    parts of the plan, such as reducing delivery standards and
    raising prices that could adversely affect small businesses and
    rural communities.
        Working closely with management and postal stakeholders,
    and, of course, Congress, I am confident that the Board can
    position the USPS to deliver the affordable and reliable
    service that all Americans deserve. I hope I will be given an
    opportunity to find solutions to the problems facing the USPS.
        Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Mr. Hajjar. We appreciate your
    comments.
        Our next nominee for the Postal Service Board of Governors
    is Amber McReynolds. She is the CEO of National Vote at Home
    Institute, which is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
    dedicated to making sure that every American can vote in a
    secure, safe, accessible, and equitable election. She
    previously served as director of elections for the city and
    county of Denver, Colorado, a nonpartisan appointed position,
    where she shared her expertise and provided important technical
    assistance. Her career has also included service for the
    Illinois State court system and the United Kingdom (U.K.)
    Parliament.
        Welcome to the Committee, and you may proceed with your
    opening comments.

     TESTIMONY OF AMBER McREYNOLDS,\1\ TO BE GOVERNOR, U.S. POSTAL
                                SERVICE

        Ms. McReynolds. Good morning, Chairman Peters, Ranking
    Member Portman, and Members of the Homeland Security and
    Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). I appreciate you
    holding this hearing.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The prepared statement of Ms. McReynolds appear in the Appendix
    on page 161.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge my family here
    with me today and those watching from home. I am thankful that
    my brother Michael could fly to D.C. and be here today. In
    normal times, I would have brought my son, Kenton, and my
    daughter, Klara, with me to see our government up close, just
    as they did 2 years ago when they visited the Capitol and the
    monuments, and they really truly loved it. I am also grateful
    to my parents, Dana and Carol--many people know my mom as
    ``Pixi''--for ensuring that my children are at school on time
    and do not miss baseball and soccer practice while I am away.
        The United States Postal Service is one of our most admired
    institutions, responsible for binding our Nation together by
    connecting citizens to commerce, communities, and each other.
    It is an essential service that our citizens expect and trust.
    Given the importance of the Postal Service in our lives, I am
    deeply humbled and honored to be nominated to serve on the
    Board of Governors. All Americans deserve a thriving and
    sustainable Postal Service, and if I am confirmed, I look
    forward to working to improve postal operations, service, and
    citizen connectivity.
        My entire professional career has been focused on improving
    citizen experiences with government, specifically within the
    voting process. I served as a local election official in
    Denver, Colorado, for 13 years and experienced firsthand the
    importance of building processes that deliver our essential
    services to the public in a fair, accessible, and secure way.
    During my time in local government, I designed systems that put
    the needs of customers--the voters--first. I am proud that the
    Colorado voting model has been a blueprint that many other
    States have used to increase citizen participation and improve
    systems. Our experience in Colorado proved that it is possible
    to improve service while also conserving costs and saving
    taxpayer dollars. We have demonstrated that we can increase
    transparency while also enhancing security and while also
    serving the public in a more accessible and equitable manner.
    Finally, I am incredibly grateful to the local and State
    election officials across the United States for their
    spectacular commitment to serving voters during the 2020
    election cycle. We all owe them our gratitude.
        In the midst of a global pandemic, millions of Americans
    across the country relied on the Postal Service to cast their
    ballots, get their prescriptions, and ensure that their bills
    were paid on time. Despite great challenges, the Postal Service
    helped deliver democracy during the 2020 election cycle. The
    parallels between election administration and the Postal
    Service are clear in that they both have a mission to deliver
    an essential, nonpartisan service for all, regardless of
    personal circumstance, politics, or geography. Vote by mail and
    election mail is an essential role for the Postal Service, and
    if I am fortunate to serve as a Governor, I will bring a
    perspective to the Board that prioritizes the needs of
    Americans just like I have done my entire career for voters
    both in government and also in the nonprofit sectors.
        While Denver has been my home for the past 16 years, I grew
    up in a small town in Illinois where my parents still live
    today. The universal service obligation (USO) is essential to
    the daily lives of rural citizens across our Nation. Whether it
    is prescription drugs, election ballots and information, or
    business-related mailings, rural communities rely heavily on
    the Postal Service for vital connectivity and commerce.
    Regardless of where Americans live, we must ensure that every
    single community across the country has prompt, reliable, and
    equitable service.
        We know that the success of this great institution depends
    on the ability to adapt to change. Many of the problems facing
    the Postal Service are clear. Chronic underinvestment in
    technology, facilities, infrastructure, and the workforce have
    exasperated this crisis. It is not a question of whether change
    is necessary but, rather, whether we can collectively work
    together to effectuate change with solutions that focus on the
    future.
        I look forward to focusing on a better future for the
    Postal Service that continues to deliver reliable and
    affordable mail service to every community in the country.
    Working collaboratively with postal stakeholders and the Board,
    I am confident that we can find creative solutions and process
    improvements that deliver cost savings as well as service
    improvements. By investing in the business and the workforce,
    we will be able to grow the Postal Service and bring new
    revenue into the system.
        If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed, I am committed to
    working on behalf of the American people to deliver the service
    that they expect and deserve, and I look forward to your
    questions today.
        Thank you.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ms. McReynolds.
        Finally, we have Ron Stroman, who is also nominated to be a
    Governor of the U.S. Postal Service. Mr. Stroman has dedicated
    his career to public service, especially the Postal Service. He
    previously served as Deputy Postmaster General of the Postal
    Service from 2011 to June 2020. As a top executive at the
    Postal Service, he helped manage an organization of over
    640,000 employees, led customer initiatives, and also served as
    Chief Government Relations Officer. Prior to that, he served as
    the Government Accountability Office and the Department of
    Transportation (DOT), in the House of Representatives on the
    Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and the Judiciary
    Committee, and as an attorney at the Department of Housing and
    Urban Development (HUD).
        Welcome to the Committee. You may now proceed with your
    opening comments.

       TESTIMONY OF RON STROMAN,\1\ TO BE GOVERNOR, U.S. POSTAL
                                SERVICE

        Mr. Stroman. Thank you, Chairman Peters, Ranking Member
    Portman, Members of the Committee. I am honored to appear
    before you today as a nominee for the United States Postal
    Service Board of Governors.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Stroman appears in the Appendix
    on page 231.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        The President nominates Postal Service Governors to
    represent the public generally, not any special interests. This
    nationwide mandate drives the Postal Service's unrivaled
    delivery network, binding our country together and linking our
    economy to rural, inner-city, and small business communities,
    who depend so heavily on the Postal Service.
        In times of crisis, the Postal Service's role as an
    essential part of America's critical infrastructure, serves as
    a lifeline for all Americans. As our Nation has experienced
    during the current global pandemic, the Postal Service is
    especially critical for our seniors and veterans and people
    with disabilities, delivering life-saving medicine, financial
    payments, and household necessities.
        In fulfilling this responsibility, America's postal workers
    have risked their lives every day of the pandemic. Their
    commitment is a testament to the resilient spirit of the
    American people. The country owes them a debt of gratitude. If
    confirmed, I will make their safety and well-being one of my
    highest priorities.
        I have dedicated my 41-year professional career to public
    service. My commitment to public service is the reason I
    attended Rutgers University Law Center in Newark, New Jersey, a
    law school with a proud tradition of diversifying the legal
    profession, with a focus on public service. It is the reason I
    chose to work in the Executive and Legislative Branches of the
    Federal Government. And it is the reason I accepted the
    position as the 20th Deputy Postmaster General of the United
    States. Serving on the Board of Governors would be the capstone
    of a career I have devoted to improving the lives of the
    American people.
        I am also committed to the Postal Service for personal and
    historic reasons. My dad, a World War II veteran, ran the
    shipping department of a small manufacturing company in New
    Rochelle, New York, where I grew up. He was responsible for
    shipping the metal clamps made by the factory. As a high school
    student, I had the opportunity to work with him after school
    and on the weekends.
        The company relied on the Postal Service to ship many of
    those clamps. My dad taught me how to weigh and put the right
    amount of postage on each shipment. Without the Postal Service,
    this small, family owned business might not have existed.
        In the case of my family and the other families working at
    that small business, the Postal Service indirectly created jobs
    and a middle-class life. For African Americans, the Postal
    Service helped to build the country's Black middle class. It
    provided jobs when the doors of opportunity were too often
    slammed shut.
        During my time as the Deputy Postmaster General, I saw
    firsthand how the Nation relies on the Postal Service. I
    remember traveling to North Dakota to meet with small business
    owners. We spent hours listening as these entrepreneurs
    explained their dependence on prompt and reliable delivery. I
    have seen individual business owners in small towns carrying
    packages into local post offices. If confirmed, I would bring
    these insights and other experiences to the Board.
        As Deputy Postmaster General, I worked in concert with
    management and our Governors on some of the most complex issues
    facing the Postal Service. I have participated in
    organizational change initiatives, including improvements to
    the customer experience. I have led our team in key votes at
    the Universal Postal Union. I have significant background
    working on postal reform legislation. If confirmed, my goal is
    to work in a bipartisan manner to return the Postal Service to
    operational excellence, future growth, and long-term financial
    stability.
        In closing, let me quote from the 1968 ``Report of the
    President's Commission on Postal Organization,'' better known
    as the Kappel Commission, which laid the foundation for today's
    Postal Service: ``Full management responsibility and authority
    would be vested in a Board of Directors charged with providing
    the Nation with a superb mail system, offering universal
    service at reasonable rates, paying fair wages to postal
    employees and giving full consideration to the public
    welfare.'' If confirmed, I promise to do my best to live up
    that ideal as a Governor of the United States Postal Service.
        Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today,
    and I look forward to your questions.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Mr. Stroman, for your opening
    comments.
        There are three questions that the Committee asks of every
    nominee, and I am going to ask the question, and I just need to
    go down the list here. You can answer yes or no after I ask the
    question. Mr. Stroman, we will have you start, and then we will
    go down the table here.
        First, is there anything you are aware of in your
    background that might present a conflict of interest with the
    duties of the office for which you have been nominated?
        Mr. Stroman. No, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. McReynolds. No.
        Mr. Hajjar. No.
        Ms. Ahuja. No, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Second, do you know of anything, personal
    or otherwise, that would in any way prevent you from fully and
    honorably discharging the responsibilities of the office for
    which you have been nominated?
        Mr. Stroman. No, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. McReynolds. No.
        Mr. Hajjar. No, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. Ahuja. No, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. And, last, do you agree without
    reservation to comply with any request or summons to appear and
    testify before any duly constituted Committee of Congress if
    you are confirmed?
        Mr. Stroman. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. McReynolds. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Hajjar. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. Ahuja. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Great. Thank you.
        Ms. Ahuja, my first question is for you. As you are well
    aware, Federal cybersecurity is a significant challenge to
    agencies as we continue to face breaches and we struggle to
    have a specialized workforce to help protect those networks.
    This is something that this Committee is focused on, we are
    going to continue to be focused on in the months and years
    ahead, and are looking at a variety of ways to make sure that
    we continue to retain and attract a quality workforce.
        Earlier this month, I reintroduced legislation, for
    example, entitled the ``Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce
    Program,'' which allows folks to have experience in different
    agencies, hopefully break down some of the silos that we
    currently have within our agencies. It does require looking at
    personnel management in a different way than we have looked at
    it in the past here at the Federal Government. It is an attempt
    to address some of those problems, but you will have many other
    ideas that will come forward from this Committee as well.
        So my question to you is: If confirmed, will you commit to
    working with me on these and other legislative proposals? And
    will you make this a priority?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that question. I
    very much appreciate the work that you have been doing around
    cyber talent. I think it is an important issue, and I
    definitely commit to working with you and this Committee on
    those issues.
        Chairman Peters. Great. Thank you.
        This next question will go to our three nominees for the
    Postal Board of Governors. In my State, as well as folks all
    across the country, as you have all mentioned in your opening
    comments, they rely on the Postal Service for timely deliver.
    Millions count on the Postal Service every day to deliver
    medications, to deliver their paychecks, to run their small
    businesses. As a public service, the Postal Service must
    balance a lot of different requirements every day. But, bottom
    line, it is about service to the American people.
        So my question to each of you, if you would take a moment
    to answer, is: If confirmed, will you focus on improving the
    quality and the reliability of mail delivery? And please
    briefly discuss how you approach the challenge of improving
    service. Mr. Hajjar, we will start with you and then work down
    the table.
        Mr. Hajjar. Thank you for that question, Mr. Chairman. The
    Postal Service, as you point out, is a service, and it is a
    fundamental--it is in the law, a fundamental service to the
    American people. It is also in the law that the Postal Service
    must provide prompt, reliable, and efficient service to all
    communities, including rural communities.
        The way I see it, it is not a discretionary thing. It is a
    mandatory thing. It is an obligation of the Postal Service,
    something that the Postal Service should pay attention to every
    day. The Governors, as the overseers, if you will, of the
    Postmaster General and management, have to be sure that they
    are held accountable for fulfilling the obligations that the
    Congress of the United States has made a priority for the
    Postal Service.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you.
        Ms. McReynolds.
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I did state in
    my opening statement, service is absolutely essential, and we
    have to restore the service levels that have been declining
    over the last few years, and we have to do so in a
    comprehensive way that addresses not only the financial
    stability of the Postal Service long term but, more
    importantly, ground process improvements and innovations in
    technology with a focus on customers and creating customer-
    centric and pro-customer processes. I also think we have to
    fully assess where stakeholders are, engaged with stakeholders
    on their feedback. We have to balance the needs of rural
    communities with urban communities and consider the variances
    that might exist across the country in terms of enhancing
    service for the American people and building trust with the
    public on the Postal Service and the service that they are
    offering.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you.
        Mr. Stroman.
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The universal service
    obligation of the Postal Service requires delivering prompt,
    reliable, and efficient service to all Americans all over the
    country. It starts, it seems to me, with having a plan to
    ensure that you have great service. That starts from the top of
    the organization and filters down throughout the organization.
    You have to have an organizational structure that allows you to
    work through issues on a cross-functional basis. It has to have
    an organizational structure that allows you to quickly respond
    to issues.
        One of the things that the Postal Service did over the last
    several years is to disaggregate data as it relates to service.
    So now we can look at rural versus urban service and quickly
    compare that.
        But, essentially, it is a cultural issue, it is a plan
    issue. You have to be an agile organization that allows you to
    quickly respond to concerns, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you. As the three of you know, the
    Board is currently considering changes to service standards
    that would increase some target delivery times as well as a
    variety of other changes to the Postal Service network. I would
    like to have each of you respond yes or no and perhaps briefly
    after that, but yes or no would be good.
        If confirmed, will you commit to collecting additional
    feedback from customers about these proposed changes and
    carefully evaluating any changes to Postal Service operations
    to ensure that they do not harm customers? Ms. McReynolds, I
    will start with you, equal opportunity here to start the first
    question. We will start with you and then go to Mr. Stroman and
    then Mr. Hajjar.
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, yes, I
    absolutely do, and I think that stakeholder engagement is
    particularly important in improving service and improving
    operational functions within the Postal Service. I also think
    stakeholder engagement is critical to creating a more adaptable
    organization long term and creating better technologies and
    innovations that can better support customers through the
    process. I think it is absolutely critical, and I will
    absolutely commit to engaging with stakeholders.
        Chairman Peters. All right. Thank you.
        Mr. Stroman. Mr. Chairman, I also agree to that. The
    Governor's responsibility is to represent the public generally.
    In order to represent the public, I think it is crucial that
    the Board get input from stakeholders all across the country
    and from its business customers, and that you take that input
    and you consider it in formulating your plans, and then you
    communicate broadly to the American public what the basis of
    your decisions has been. So you certainly have my commitment.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you.
        Mr. Hajjar. Mr. Chairman, I agree completely. The
    deterioration of service in recent times is simply
    unacceptable. It cannot be the hallmark of the Postal Service
    that it is declining in delivering service to the American
    people. I believe, as I said in my opening statement, there is
    an enormous reservoir of goodwill among the people for the
    Postal Service. That has to be preserved. It cannot be
    squandered. It is the strength of the Postal Service, so
    service has to be job one.
        Chairman Peters. All right. Thank you to each of you for
    that commitment.
        I now recognize Ranking Member Portman for his questions.
        Senator Portman. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. Ahuja, as I said, good job at OPM. Here is a recent
    survey that was done, Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS):
    39 percent of Federal employees believe their promotions are
    based on merit, meaning the rest do not, which would be very
    concerning. Only 34 percent believe poor performance is
    addressed by management. How will you improve the hiring
    process at the Federal level so that it maximizes merit and
    addresses poor performance?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman, for that
    question. I very much appreciate those concerns. I understand
    that it can be challenging at times to manage poor performance.
        I will say that what I have seen in most cases in executive
    roles is that oftentimes poor performance shows up because of
    lack of employee engagement or a mismatch of skills and talents
    for that position or there just is not really clear metrics
    around the performance evaluation.
        So related to focusing on poor performers, I think it is
    key to think about and to focus on what OPM can do, if I was
    confirmed, around supporting agencies around performance
    management guidance, supporting managers, and understanding
    those processes, because those processes are important and it
    is important to carry those out.
        Oftentimes managers, they are focused on their work, not as
    much around the day-to-day of supervision, and that is equally
    important.
        Senator Portman. Should you be confirmed, we would like to
    work with you on this issue.
        Ms. Ahuja. Definitely.
        Senator Portman. Because I do think it is one of the
    reasons you have some of the turnover and the poor morale that
    we have been talking about in other contexts, including our
    conversation.
        Let me ask you something specific. I am concerned about
    some aspects of the administration's new detailee program,
    sending Federal workers to assist with the border surge, and
    particularly these individuals apparently are allowed to begin
    working with kids prior to completing a child care
    investigation background check under OPM's program. They really
    are not qualified, many of them, to do this. With the reports
    of abuse in border shelters in particular, how will you ensure
    children's safety in these facilities as you continue with this
    detailee program, should you be confirmed?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman, for that
    question. I am aware of the volunteer detailee program that is
    being provide. Oftentimes OPM does provide these type of
    support services for agencies, especially when they need to
    surge capacity, oftentimes related to disasters.
        In particular to your question regarding the safety of
    those children, there are also suitability standards. My
    understanding is that that would be incorporated in the review
    of those individuals as they go down to the border to ensure
    that they have the appropriate----
        Senator Portman. If confirmed, would you agree to work with
    us on that to make sure that people have the qualifications
    they need? At a time when this surge is just overwhelming, I
    understand the program is paying sponsors now as an example,
    which we have never done before, and we want to be sure these
    kids are not suffering any more than they already have been
    because of personnel that are not qualified.
        Ms. Ahuja. Yes, Ranking Member Portman, I would look
    forward to working with you.
        Senator Portman. OK. You were Chief of Staff at OPM during
    the fallout from the 2015 data breach that affected over 21
    million Federal workers. We talked about that already in our
    private conversation. But what would you do to improve OPM's
    cybersecurity efforts specifically? I know you have talked
    generally about that, but how do we avoid these kinds of
    breaches in the future?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman, for that
    question. Spending my time at OPM shortly after the data
    breaches, I definitely understand how incredibly important this
    issue is. I think one thing that we incorporated that I would
    continue to do, if confirmed, is to be hypervigilant around
    cyber attacks. They are ever evolving, as we see. At the time
    we set up a fairly responsive cyber incident response system.
    My understanding is that still rates as the best in government.
    I also think it is to be focused on information technology (IT)
    leadership, having the skills within that office. I also think
    a pathway to IT modernization is going to help us really manage
    some of the challenges with keeping the systems----
        Senator Portman. Would you commit today to working with us?
    We talked earlier--the Chairman talked about the workforce. We
    have passed legislation trying to advance the cyber workforce,
    which is one of the answers here, to have the smartest, the
    best people on the inside pushing back. Would you commit to
    working with us on that and focusing on that, should you be
    confirmed?
        Ms. Ahuja. Yes, I would, Senator.
        Senator Portman. A lot of the Federal workforce has been
    working remotely, and the American people, I think, need access
    to some of these services in person. We certainly find this
    back home in Ohio as we are trying to help our veterans, we are
    trying to help folks with Social Security issues and other
    things. Telework works in some cases and does not in others. We
    need to get people back to work, in my view, to help serve
    those constituents as the COVID-19 crisis continues to improve.
        If confirmed, would you commit to getting the Federal
    workforce back to the office safely, efficiently, and as soon
    as possible?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman, for that
    question. I very much commit to doing such efforts and
    definitely balancing the safety of the Federal workforce. That
    is going to be incredibly important, as well as the obligations
    the agencies have to the American public.
        Senator Portman. In a panel discussion in 2016, you made a
    number of comments about abortion, including your support for
    repealing the Hyde amendment. We discussed this on our call
    earlier this week, but would you commit now to administering
    the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program in
    accordance with existing law?
        Ms. Ahuja. Ranking Member Portman, I understand the role of
    Director of OPM and that the Hyde amendment is the law of the
    land, and I will follow the law, yes.
        Senator Portman. To our Postal Governor nominees, again,
    thank you for your willingness to step up. Mr. Stroman, one
    thing you did when you were there is you helped me in Ohio with
    regard to being sure that our Postal Service was working in
    connection with the election, but also implementation of the
    Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act of 2017
    (STOP Act). I am still frustrated, as you know, that we have
    not fully implemented it, although we have made good progress.
    Unfortunately, the fentanyl is now moving more through Mexico
    as a result. It has been very helpful, but it has not been
    fully implemented.
        Would you commit to personally being involved in this issue
    and ensuring we can get the full implementation, including 100
    percent advance electronic data from China?
        Mr. Stroman. Absolutely, Mr. Chairman. I think getting that
    data is not only--it is the law of the land, and it is key to
    helping to prevent fentanyl and other illicit drugs coming into
    the country. I think it is the responsibility of the Postal
    Service to implement that, and you have my full assurance that
    I will be personally involved in implementing that provision.
        Senator Portman. Thank you, Mr. Stroman.
        I do not have time to ask another question, Mr. Chairman. I
    just want to put into the record that I asked all three of the
    witnesses whether they had received any outside pressure with
    regard to the firing of the current Postmaster General because
    there are outside groups that have been asking the
    administration to only put people forward who have made that
    commitment. They all told me they had not made any commitments
    and they had not been pressured. Is that accurate?
        Mr. Hajjar. Yes.
        Ms. McReynolds. Yes.
        Mr. Stroman. Yes.
        Senator Portman. OK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ranking Member.
        The Chair recognizes Senator Hassan for her questions.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR HASSAN

        Senator Hassan. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member
    Portman, and good morning to all the witnesses. Thank you so
    much for your service and your willingness to serve.
        I have questions for each of you, so I am going to start
    with Ms. Ahuja. It was nice to talk with you via Zoom whenever
    that was, a week or two ago. The use of out-of-date and
    commercially unsupported information technology by Federal
    agencies is one of the main drivers of increased IT maintenance
    costs because these aging systems rely on expensive expert and
    contract personnel instead of a more nimble and generalized IT
    workforce.
        In addition, these systems diminish effective delivery of
    services to the American people, including those struggling to
    access their retirement benefits due to the Office of Personnel
    Management's aging technology infrastructure and expose
    agencies as well to security threats.
        So as Director of the Office of Personnel Management, how
    will you advocate for governmentwide IT modernization in order
    to reduce costs associated with specialized contractors,
    increased security, and improved service delivery to the
    American people?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator Hassan, and it was wonderful
    to chat with you previously. We talked about this issue, and I
    completely agree with you that we have to be able to move off
    of these legacy systems, focus on IT modernization, and that
    would be a high priority for me if I was confirmed.
        There are a number of areas of focus that would need to
    take place at OPM, the retirement services, of course, other
    aspects of the personnel system, moving to a digital record,
    those type of things. There is a real balance, and,
    unfortunately, because of having to maintain legacy systems, it
    has taken away from doing the modernization.
        I will be up front with my colleagues in partnership with
    them. I appreciate the IT Modernization Fund. I think that is a
    big step forward.
        Senator Hassan. Thank you very much.
        To Mr. Hajjar, at my request the Postal Service Inspector
    General (IG) issued a report that found that the main cause of
    postal delays and poor service in New Hampshire was due to a
    lack of permanent staff. Since the report came out in December
    2020, the Postal Service has hired more than 150 new permanent
    employees in New Hampshire, something that will surely help to
    improve service to the Granite State.
        Drawing on your experience as general counsel of the
    American Postal Workers Union, how could the Postal Service
    better engage with the postal unions to promote recruitment and
    retention of a robust postal workforce in order to improve
    service nationwide?
        Mr. Hajjar. Senator, thank you for that question. The
    Postal Reorganization Act focuses clearly on having a career
    workforce and opportunities for advancement of the career
    workforce, and the 10-year plan, I am pleased to see one aspect
    of it is to refocus and depend on the career workforce. There
    was a big turnover of the non-career workforce, which,
    according to the 10-year plan, was a large contribution to the
    service failures that we experienced. The 10-year plan also
    dedicates itself specifically to complying with all collective
    bargaining agreements with the unions. I am hopeful that the
    Postal Service will do that, and by relying on well-trained,
    reliable career workers, service will improve.
        Senator Hassan. Thank you.
        Now I am going to move on to Ms. McReynolds. Good morning.
    Similar to Colorado, though not nearly as large, New Hampshire
    has its fair share of rural remote mountainous areas that can
    be difficult to access but, nevertheless, deserve reliable
    delivery from the Postal Service to receive essential items
    like prescriptions or food or to run their small businesses.
        How will you draw on your experience working with rural or
    remote communities in Colorado and across the country to
    advocate for reliable service in hard-to-reach locations?
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you for the question, Senator, and I
    did grow up in a rural community. My parents still live there.
    I also in my work in Colorado at improving the voting systems,
    I worked with rural communities across Colorado, and this was
    actually a huge issue that when the postal network started to
    change back in 2012 and there was consolidation of various
    networks, we had a huge impact, and we had to have a lot of
    conversations with the Postal Service about how to respond to
    that, address that, and improve service in rural communities.
        I absolutely think that rural communities are essential in
    terms of any changes that get put forward with network or even
    service, and we have to maintain it, and we have to maintain
    the universal service obligation that is outlined clearly in
    the law. It is important, I also believe, to engage rural
    stakeholders directly on what is important to them, what they
    need, what they do not have access to now, and look for
    opportunities that are creative and innovative to better serve
    them.
        Senator Hassan. Thank you for that answer.
        And now, Mr. Stroman, to stabilize the Postal Service's
    financial position and institute reforms, there has to be a
    good-faith exchange of information and ideas between Postal
    Service leadership and Congress. Based on your own experience
    working on congressional oversight, what will you do as a
    Governor to promote transparency and accountability on behalf
    of the Postal Service?
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you for that question, Senator. I think
    there are a couple of things that certainly I would want to do.
    I have in my career worked in a bipartisan fashion to ensure
    that there is a free flow of information. Congress is a key
    stakeholder in overseeing the Postal Service and getting input
    from the Postal Service, and I think it is incumbent on both
    the Board and management to reach out and get information and
    get the opinions of Congress and take that into account.
        Ultimately, part of the financial stability of the Postal
    Service rests in Congress' passing postal reform. In order for
    that to happen, Congress needs to understand and communicate
    clearly with the Postal Service, and I certainly commit, if I
    am fortunate enough to be confirmed as a Governor, to work
    closely with the Congress both in transmitting information and
    responding to requests for information. We will hopefully work
    together on postal reform legislation.
        Senator Hassan. I would look forward to that. One thing I
    would just add is that we are often are a source of data
    collection for all of you, too. My office keeps track of
    constituent calls and complaints about the Postal Service, and
    it has been really important in getting some of these recent
    improvements in New Hampshire that we were able to present the
    information directly from constituents, which did not always
    line up with what the Postal Service was telling us.
        Mr. Stroman. Absolutely, and I would say, in my role as
    Deputy Postmaster General, I received many of those concerns,
    and they were enormously helpful in helping us pinpoint service
    issues throughout the country. It is one of the ways that I
    think we used that information to help improve service for the
    American people. I absolutely agree with that.
        Senator Hassan. Thank you, and thank you, Mr. Chair.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Hassan.
        Senator Johnson, you are recognized for your questions.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JOHNSON

        Senator Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Senator Portman asked the Postal Board of Governors
    nominees whether during the nomination process anybody asked
    for your commitment in terms of, I think, the termination of
    the Postmaster General, and you answered that nobody asked for
    that commitment. I will expand the question a little bit
    further. Did anybody in the nomination process talk about
    Postmaster General DeJoy's performance? I will start with you,
    Mr. Hajjar.
        Mr. Hajjar. No, Senator.
        Senator Johnson. Ms. McReynolds.
        Ms. McReynolds. No, Senator.
        Senator Johnson. Mr. Stroman.
        Mr. Stroman. No, Senator.
        Senator Johnson. One of the reasons I raise the question, I
    think the Postmaster General was very unfairly criticized
    during the lead-up to the election.
        Mr. Stroman, having served in the Postal Service, let me
    ask you, the retirement of the blue boxes, was there anything
    unusual that occurred in the lead-up to the election or was
    that pretty much scheduled retirements?
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you for the question, Senator. I had
    left, I think, by that time. Removal of blue mailboxes is
    historically done with a density survey, so you determine what
    the volume is in a blue mailbox. If it falls below a certain
    level, then depending upon community input, you can remove the
    blue mailbox consistent with the regulations of the Postal
    Service.
        Senator Johnson. Again, so this is an ongoing process,
    correct?
        Mr. Stroman. It is an ongoing process.
        Senator Johnson. I would expect you probably maintained
    some contacts in the Postal Service. Did you hear of anything
    unusual in terms of removal of the blue boxes after you left?
        Mr. Stroman. I will say to you, Senator, that I was
    statutorily prohibited from having contact with employees at
    the Postal Service.
        Senator Johnson. OK. One of the issues that the Postmaster
    General is addressing was the high cost of overtime. I do not
    have the exact figures, but it is somewhere $4 to $5 billion
    per year. Is that pretty accurate?
        Mr. Stroman. Yes, I think that is right.
        Senator Johnson. The way he addressed it--and I really want
    kind of your perspective on this--was the first thing he
    noticed--and he is a logistics expert--is that the Postal
    Service was not adhering to their own dispatch schedules.
    Trucks would sit around. They would wait until the final
    envelope to get everything delivered exactly on time. When they
    began adhering to those dispatch schedules, which was designed
    to over time improve efficiency, improve service levels, while
    dramatically decreasing overtime, that was what was going on in
    terms of the initial dip in on-time delivery. Is that your
    understanding of what was happening?
        Mr. Stroman. My understanding, Senator, is that there was a
    disconnect between processing and transportation. So the
    transportation runs on a schedule, and that schedule should be
    linked up with your processing of the mail and packages, and it
    was not linked up, resulting in overtime because the mail was
    not processed in time.
        The problem was that, in order to solve that problem, you
    have to fundamentally solve the problem on processing. And so
    having the trucks leave on schedule means that mail was going
    to be left and it was going to delay the mail.
        I think if you looked at the IG report that the Postmaster
    General had identified as the basis for that movement, the IG
    report laid out about ten different processing steps that
    needed to be taken, and I think you have to resolve that
    problem. Then you can link up with your transportation
    schedule. But identifying that is a legitimate issue that has
    to be addressed, and one of the things to solve the financial
    problems in the post is solving those efficiencies. I think
    that is exactly the right thing to do.
        Senator Johnson. Just to give you the opinion of other
    Board of Governors, in a September 2020 report, Governor
    William Zollars told the Washington Post--this is about DeJoy:
    ``He has 100 percent Board support. From a logistics and
    operations standpoint, Louis DeJoy is as good as it gets. He
    has support on both sides of the aisle.''
        In a hearing here for a different nomination, John Barger
    said that, ``When Louis DeJoy assumed the role of Postmaster
    General, we were thrilled to be able to attract a person of his
    caliber to the U.S. Government. The man is doing a tremendous
    job.''
        Finally, in a House Oversight Committee hearing in February
    of this year, Democrat Chairman Ron Bloom said of DeJoy, ``The
    Board of Governors believes the Postmaster General is, in very
    difficult circumstances, doing a good job.''
        I guess my own viewpoint, having met with and talked to the
    Postmaster General, I would agree with certainly Mr. Bloom that
    it is a tough job and he is doing a pretty good job, and he
    brings a level of expertise. So, again, I am hoping that you
    all maintain a very open mind and will work with somebody who
    has that kind of logistics expertise.
        Let me ask, one of the reasons I actually supported Ron
    Bloom for the Board of Governors, when I asked him during a
    hearing whether he supported the previous administration's task
    force recommendation to reform the postal system without a
    taxpayer bailout, Mr. Bloom agreed with that position.
        Now, obviously, because of all the COVID relief, it looks
    like the postal system will get a fair amount of taxpayer
    bailout. Beyond that, though, would you also agree with that
    assessment that the postal system has to come up with reforms
    and do it on their own? Mr. Hajjar.
        Mr. Hajjar. Thank you, Senator. Yes, I agree with that. The
    Postal Reorganization Act requires the Postal Service to be
    self-sufficient.
        Senator Johnson. OK. I need to quick move on.
        Ms. McReynolds, would you agree with that?
        Ms. McReynolds. Yes, and I agree under the law it is
    supposed to be self-sufficient, so that is certainly what our
    goal should be.
        Senator Johnson. OK. Mr. Stroman.
        Mr. Stroman. I agree. It is an independent entity within
    the Executive Branch.
        Senator Johnson. I think the other issue really is an
    upgrade to their vehicle fleet and their equipment. I know
    there have been some contracts let out. Do you also agree, all
    three of you--that we do have to upgrade the vehicle fleet and
    that is an important priority of the postal system? I will
    start with you, Mr. Stroman.
        Mr. Stroman. Yes, that is certainly a priority, but there
    are other priorities as well in terms of the infrastructure of
    the Postal Service. But that certainly is a major priority
    given the age of the fleet.
        Senator Johnson. Ms. McReynolds.
        Ms. McReynolds. Yes, and I would add that there are other
    infrastructure priorities as well.
        Senator Johnson. OK. Mr. Hajjar.
        Mr. Hajjar. There is no doubt that the fleet needs to be
    upgraded. It is a very old fleet.
        Senator Johnson. OK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Johnson.
        Senator Lankford, you are recognized for your questions.

                 OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LANKFORD

        Senator Lankford. Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
        Ms. Ahuja, let us get a chance to be able to visit some
    more. We visited by phone recently, and so let us get the
    opportunity to be able to follow up on a few of these things.
    Senator Portman asked you earlier about remote work and about
    telework and how quickly can we get people in. I am going to
    ask you the opposite. Are there jobs that you feel like we have
    discovered during the last year that could be permanently
    remote work? What I am focused on are areas of spouses that
    work for people in the United States military on active duty.
    Their spouses have a very difficult time getting jobs in
    different places. If they were allowed to work remotely, they
    could be assigned with their spouse anywhere in the world and
    still have the opportunity to be able to work for one of our
    agencies, and that would open up a lot of opportunities for
    them.
        What I want to ask you about is what your opinion on remote
    work in the sense identifying jobs that could be permanently
    and assumed they are not going to be in Washington, D.C., but
    work with some of the agencies.
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator Lankford. I enjoyed having
    that conversation with you a few days ago. I am very much in
    support of the opportunities that telework and remote work
    would provide, and if confirmed as OPM Director, that would be
    something that I would definitely be leaning into. I think we
    are completely rethinking work at this moment, not just the
    Federal Government but for all across the country. I think not
    only does it give opportunities to individuals who are not
    necessarily based in an urban center, but a way to actually
    provide service and give our thanks especially to military
    spouses in places where they are located in remote locations.
        I also think there are opportunities on how we think about
    locality pay, where there are savings in that sense, as well as
    really the size and, expansion of an office footprint. There
    will be definitely some of that retraction related to some of
    the savings there.
        Senator Lankford. OK. We will look forward to that ongoing
    dialog, if you are confirmed, on that because I think this is
    an essential next step for us in the Federal workforce.
        Let us flip to the other side, not just from hiring and
    listing new jobs but for retirees. The most common issue I hear
    from Federal retirees is the simple fact that if they work for
    multiple agencies, getting them into the retirement benefits
    process, it takes months for them. How do we make that faster?
    How do we get a smoother system so there is a seamless process
    from application, interview, all the way on-boarding, through
    their reviews, all the way to retirement as well?
        Ms. Ahuja. Sure. Senator, just to be clear, you are talking
    about the full retirement process.
        Senator Lankford. That is correct.
        Ms. Ahuja. As you know, it is a paper-based process, which
    I think lends itself to being very expensive and very long and
    I think with multiple agencies and different payroll providers,
    and as long as it is paper-based, I think we are going to have
    these challenges of length of time.
        If I was confirmed as OPM Director, I would commit to an IT
    modernization plan for retirement services, certainly short-
    term goals around a new call center technology, piloting modern
    retiree experiences, fast track for applications that, are
    easier to kind of manage, as well as more long term. I really
    do think that--and this is not just retirement services--the
    way to improve these times is ultimately through the IT
    modernization process that is going to be required.
        Senator Lankford. Yes, it will definitely be required.
    Unfortunately, every Director of OPM has said almost exactly
    that for the last several years. How do we actually move from
    talking about that to doing it? What do you think is going to
    be a key aspect?
        Ms. Ahuja. I think it helps that we have the IT
    Modernization Fund, to be quite honest. It has not existed in
    the past, and I think resources are needed.
        In the case of OPM, I think the challenges have been not
    having stable leadership at the top. As I mentioned to you,
    Senator Lankford, I commit to being there as long as I have the
    support of all of you and President Biden, because I do think
    it is going to be needed.
        Senator Lankford. Great. Yes, we have had multiple
    Directors here for a while and a lot of change, and that is
    hard to be able to get things moving on it.
        Shifting a little bit about Federal employee health
    benefits, OPM runs one of the largest systems for insurance in
    the country, so what OPM does affects not only Federal workers
    but affects everyone in that sense and how actually insurance
    is handled, because it is such a large provider in the middle
    for Federal employee health benefits. Senator Portman earlier
    asked you about some of the previous statements you have made.
    You have been very public on your preference on abortion. I
    understand that. That is your right as an American to be able
    to express your opinions publicly. But stepping into this role,
    we also have the Hyde amendment, the Smith amendment, very
    clear legal boundaries that we do not use Federal dollars for
    abortion providing nor trying to incentivize that in any way.
        Now, that would not have been as much of an issue, but in
    the $2 trillion COVID package that Democrats passed on a
    straight party line just a few weeks ago, they for the first
    time in 40 years included funding for Hyde provisions and
    actually broke that lock solid rule that has been there for
    that particular set of funds. So this has now become a much
    bigger issue.
        So my straightforward question is: Regardless of your
    personal views on this, would you follow the law on the issue
    of abortion financing through using Federal health dollars or
    Federal tax dollars to provide abortion?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I
    understand the role and responsibilities for this position, and
    I would absolutely follow the law.
        Senator Lankford. OK. Thank you for that.
        There is some debate right now as well, and there will be
    another difficult issue out there just for policy. We as
    Americans and to the Federal Government are neutral to every
    single American. Every American is valued. Every American is
    equal across the board. But we have some unique health
    challenges when we talk about transgender and sex reassignment
    surgeries, especially for children, and there has been a push
    to say for the Federal employee health benefits that we should
    allow sex reassignment surgeries and also puberty blockers for
    children. There are a lot of medical professionals that are
    very uncomfortable with that. How will you manage a decision
    like that when you have activists saying one thing and health
    professionals saying another and trying to be able to strike
    that balance?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I do
    understand that there are strong views on both sides. I do
    think, again, as my role and responsibility as OPM Director, if
    I was confirmed--we talked about this before--I think there are
    some significant issues as an employee-sponsored health
    program, the largest one, around ensuring that benefits are
    comprehensive, they are competitive, there is parity between
    mental health services. And, right now I am not inside OPM, but
    I would commit to better understanding the issue, getting a
    sense of what is happening inside the agency, and to have a
    further conversation with you to understand your concerns and
    take that into consideration.
        Senator Lankford. Right. This was an area we will
    definitely continue to talk about, because there are lots of
    concerns that taxpayers will actually bring to me and will
    bring to others to say, hey, I want to respect all people, but
    there are a lot of medical questions here and there are a lot
    of questions just about Federal tax dollars and where that is
    going to go. I would be interested to be able to maintain that
    ongoing dialog.
        For the postal nominees, I apologize. I have not had the
    opportunity to be able to visit with you as we were limited on
    time. Embarrassingly enough, I will email you some questions
    for the record.\1\ I guess I should put a stamp on them and
    mail them to you. [Laughter.]
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The questions of Senator Lankford appears in the Appendix on
    page 90.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        But we will contact you with some questions for the record
    to be able to follow up.
        Thank you. We have all had the opportunity to be able to
    visit one on one already as well, so thank you.
        Mr. Hajjar. Thank you, Senator.
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you.
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Lankford.
        Senator Padilla, you are recognized for your questions.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR PADILLA

        Senator Padilla. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have questions for
    Ms. Ahuja. I appreciate the opportunity to be connected by
    phone previously, so I just wanted to follow up on the
    conversation in this setting. We both recognize there are sort
    of two kind of diverging dynamics as it pertains to our Federal
    workforce. Number one, the large number of our Federal
    employees, particularly at the upper management levels or
    leadership levels, that are eligible for retirement in the next
    decade, and thoughts on, the state of affairs when it comes to
    succession planning and training and grooming the next
    generation of leaders, that being number one. Number two, the
    question about the diversity of our workforce and, being
    intentional about recruitment and retention as we strive for a
    workforce that is reflective of our Nation.
        I want to spend just a couple minutes talking about those
    and especially where they intersect and opportunity to elevate
    leadership in various departments and agencies that, again, are
    not as diverse as our beautiful country.
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator, for that question, and I was
    going to say the same, but I think they do intersect when you
    are talking about or thinking about the retirement wave, about
    succession planning, how we are thinking about recruitment. A
    part of that is being focused on the support of the individuals
    inside the government already, giving them training
    opportunities, being hyperfocused on professional development
    that is going to be important.
        I think one thing that we have learned from this pandemic
    is that our workforce is incredibly important and that we
    should really be focused on the kinds of opportunities that
    they are being provided and the value and contributions of
    their service.
        I would say there is a real opportunities with some of what
    I call the ``feeder programs,'' which are expanding the
    Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF), where we can
    work out some of the kinks with the Pathways Program, focused
    on bringing in individuals early in their career.
        I have always said the Federal Government should be able to
    be quite competitive because it has an amazing mission, and
    that is a huge draw, I think, for people early in their
    careers, and we really should take advantage of that and really
    focus on diversity. Our workforce should reflect the diversity
    in this country. It is a huge asset. It gives us a competitive
    advantage. I think individuals want to see not only diversity
    all throughout the workforce but in the senior ranks, that they
    see individuals that come from their communities, that there is
    a breadth of experience and people bringing those experiences
    from all walks of life.
        So I do agree with you. I think it is an important priority
    for us to have collectively, and it is something that I will
    focus on, if confirmed.
        Senator Padilla. I think also anytime in our country where
    people with significant private sector experience or even in
    academia are more than able and willing to establish some sort
    of public service. I look forward to continuing our
    conversation and efforts in that regard.
        The next question is for Mr. Hajjar, Ms. McReynolds, and
    Mr. Stroman. As we have had a chance to discuss previously as
    well, I had what was a deep but very specific experience with
    USPS in the service delivery side in my prior capacity as
    California's Secretary of State, particularly as we moved the
    most populous State in the Nation with the largest electorate
    of any State in the Nation strongly and critically in the
    direction of a lot more vote by mail than had been previous
    popular. But the vast majority of the Californians voting last
    year were by mail, and working through issues of transition, et
    cetera, we had a chance to experience a lot of the mechanics
    and logistics of Postal Service delivery, not just when it came
    to ballots but voter information guides and, political mail, et
    cetera. I had the insight of the changing dynamics in the
    Postal Service generally over time, particularly during COVID,
    letter mail versus package delivery, et cetera.
        The one question I would direct to each of you is: Post
    that discussion and given your respective perspectives getting
    here, what ideas do you have for further evolution, service
    improvements through the Postal Service, any ideas to improving
    further on our effectiveness and our efficiency and the equity
    of Postal Service delivery? We know it is important for
    Americans not just because of elections, but whether it is
    receiving mail, commercial activity, prescriptions, and so much
    more? I will turn it over to each of you for a quick response.
        Mr. Hajjar. Thank you, Senator. I will start by saying that
    the service deteriorations really are simply unacceptable, and
    we need improvement. I think it is right there in the
    Postmaster General's 10-year plan that he wants to bring back
    the confidence of the American people in the Postal Service. I
    think that has to be the first priority. There are a lot of
    important aspects to the 10-year plan. Some of them are quite
    lengthy, but the number one thing, I think, is to restore
    service so that people do not have their confidence shaken in
    the ability of the Postal Service to deliver effective, timely,
    reliable service.
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you, Senator Padilla, for that
    question. I think there are multiple ways to improve service
    while also creating innovations that increase the
    accountability and transparency for customers and for those
    that use the Postal Service. One good example that I just want
    to highlight is something that you implemented statewide in
    California and that I also helped a few other States implement
    for the 2020 election, which was a system called ``ballot
    tracking,'' and that really is similar to what the Postal
    Service has in terms of informed delivery. But ballot tracking
    specifically for election mail increases accountability and
    security for vote by mail, in particular, and California was
    certainly a leader, and Nevada and Georgia. We actually helped
    both Nevada and Georgia in 2020 implement both of those systems
    that provided significantly improved service to those that were
    using the Postal Service to send their ballots back.
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you for the question, Senator. Several
    things. One thing is non-career employees. One of the
    provisions of the Postmaster General's plan is a reduction on
    reliance on non-career employees. Non-career employees save you
    some money, but they do hurt you on the service side because
    the turnover there is very high. I think less reliance on non-
    career, more reliance on career employees. I think training is
    absolutely critical. You have to invest in training. You have
    to have an organizational structure that allows, I think, all
    of the services issues to be resolved very quickly, very
    promptly.
        Ultimately, though, I think it is data. You have to have a
    system of analysis of key data points that identify where
    problems are and resolve them at the lowest possible level.
        Then you have to have a system where you are engaging with
    your customers and you are engaging with the public. We talked
    a little bit with Senator Hassan about input from customers all
    throughout the Nation, so ensuring that you have a structure
    which allows you to get input. The Postal Service meets
    quarterly with Members of Congress out in the field, and that
    is an opportunity to hear from constituents across the country.
    So getting that input and using that input to solve problems I
    think is critical.
        Senator Padilla. Thank you to all of you. I look forward to
    our ongoing conversation and work together.
        Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Padilla.
        Senator Hawley, you are recognized for your questions.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR HAWLEY

        Senator Hawley. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to all
    of the witnesses for being here. Congratulations on your
    nominations.
        Ms. Ahuja, if I could just start with you, last September
    it was reported that employees in the Executive Branch were
    required to attend workplace diversity trainings in which they
    were told that--I am quoting now--``virtually all white people
    contribute to racism'' and were required to say that ``they
    benefit from racism,'' they, the employees, along with other
    ideas that, frankly, I think are deeply divisive, amount to
    left-wing indoctrination, and really are attempts to divide the
    American people, in this case Federal employees, along the
    lines of race.
        I bring this up because you have experience at OPM from
    2015 to 2017, I believe. Were you involved in any capacity or
    in creating or organizing these particular trainings? Do you
    recall?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator, for that question. No, I was
    not involved in those trainings, but I am aware, in my current
    organization--and we work with a lot of members in the
    Northwest--that a lot of companies are using diversity
    inclusion trainings. They find it an important resource to
    create a supportive and inclusive environment and really help
    them have a competitive advantage of really understanding
    people from all walks of life. So not particular to OPM, but
    certainly I have seen it more broadly being used in this
    country more and more.
        Senator Hawley. And do you support--I mean, the last
    administration ceased diversity training that contained any
    elements of what is sometimes called ``critical race theory.''
    Do you agree with that decision by the prior administration or
    no?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I do not
    know specifics about the trainings that you are citing. The
    ones that I have been exposed to and been familiar with have
    really encouraged understanding people from all walks of life,
    really creating an inclusive work environment. I especially
    think for the younger generation that is what they are looking
    for, not only individuals who look like them, that there is a
    diverse workforce, but that there is an understanding in value
    for the experiences that people have had.
        Senator Hawley. Let me ask you this: During your time as
    CEO at Philanthropy Northwest, you have repeatedly invoked the
    work of Dr. Kendi, who has become famous for his theory of
    anti-racism. In a blog post that you wrote, you endorsed an
    article by Dr. Kendi where he claimed that Donald Trump's
    election in 2016 was an example of ``racist progress.'' Those
    are his words--``racist progress.''
        Do you agree with Dr. Kendi's claim that the election of
    the former President was racist progress?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I have
    worked with Dr. Kendi. He has come to speak at events where we
    have promoted greater conversation around issues of racial
    equity and equality. I do not know specific to that statement,
    but he has been, within the philanthropic space, a thought
    leader around how to think about issues of achieving greater
    equity, especially in, communities of color, how can funders
    think about how will they allocate their grantmaking, the type
    of partnerships that they pursue.
        I think in that respect, he has tried to provide a
    perspective of how to have a more nuanced understanding of
    where resources should go based on the historical experiences
    and history within this country of which communities have
    really had challenges along the way.
        Senator Hawley. But let me just ask you for your own view.
    I mean, you have cited and as I said in a blog post you wrote
    endorsed the article in which he made this claim. But setting
    aside whatever his view may be--he is not here today--but your
    view, do you agree that the election of Donald Trump is an
    example of racist progress in this country?
        Ms. Ahuja. Senator Hawley, I thank you for that question. I
    have not made any of those type of statements about the
    election. I have been in the philanthropic space for the past
    few years, and so, no, I cannot speak to that particular
    position that Dr. Kendi has made.
        Senator Hawley. But I am asking you if you agree with it,
    because you wrote a blog post in which you endorsed the
    article. I am just asking--I am not asking you now about his
    view. I am asking you, in your capacity, do you agree, do you
    think that the election of Donald Trump is an example of racist
    progress in this country?
        Ms. Ahuja. Again, thank you, Senator. I do not recall this
    article that you are referring to, unfortunately. But I would
    not make those type of statements, no.
        Senator Hawley. Do you think the United States is a
    systemically racist Nation? Is that fair to say?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator Hawley. I appreciate this
    line of questions. I am a big believer that--and I am sure this
    is a value we all hold, that we seek to ensure that everyone
    has equal opportunity in this country. I understand and
    appreciate also that the historical challenges that many
    individuals have experienced based on their race or ethnicity.
    I think it is important that we have that understanding in
    addressing problems and inequities. Having very tailored
    approaches, that is the work we did in the philanthropic space,
    was to understand the experience of indigenous peoples,
    especially in the Northwest, what are the type of solutions
    that our funders may want to think about as far as supporting
    those communities, and so on.
        Senator Hawley. I am asking these questions because you are
    seeking to be confirmed to lead to what is effectively the
    Federal Government's H.R. department. It is a very important
    position, a very important agency. It impacts millions of
    Federal employees, civil servants across the country. I want to
    make sure that in this job and in this position that we are
    committed to unifying Americans, not dividing them, certainly
    not dividing them along the lines of race. Some of the things
    that we saw this past year attributed to critical race theory
    and promoted by the Federal Government, including statements
    like the nuclear family is an inherently white concept,
    Christianity is an inherently white religion, other statements
    about work ethic being white concepts, these to me frankly seem
    insane and also racist. I mean, if they came out of the mouth
    of a white person, you would say that is unbelievably racist.
    That kind of--and these were in trainings. Those I am just
    referencing were developed by the Smithsonian, but these were
    in the training materials for Federal employees, for public
    officials.
        I think it is vital that we commit to not trying to divide
    Americans along lines of race, and so my question to you, my
    final question to you, is: Will you commit to uphold and
    protect our merit-based employment system and the core values
    that underpin that and not any effort to introduce
    considerations of political ideology, racial ideology, or
    anything other than the merit-based employment system and the
    laws that define what those considerations and qualifications
    should be?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator. I do understand the role of
    this position. I very much take that very seriously and
    upholding merit system principles. I also understand the value
    of no one should be discriminated based on their race. I was a
    former civil rights lawyer, and I take that very seriously.
        I think we all uphold what Martin Luther King, Jr., said,
    which is we should be judged by the content of our character
    and not the color of our skin, and that is the approach that I
    have taken.
        Senator Hawley. Very good. I see I am out of time, Mr.
    Chairman. I think we also have a vote called. I will put this
    for the record. I want to make sure for the Board of Governors,
    as a State with many rural communities, I want to make sure--
    and I will give this to you--we do not have time to answer it,
    but I will give it to you for the record.\1\ I want to make
    sure that we protect rural delivery and rural post offices.
    That is so important to my State. Millions of Missourians rely
    on that and others across the country. But I just want to get
    from you your commitment--again, we will do it for the record--
    that you will work to protect access and delivery services for
    rural Americans. I will give that to you in writing.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The question of Senator Hawley appears in the Appendix on page
    98.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Hawley.
        Senator Ossoff, you are recognized for your questions.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR OSSOFF

        Senator Ossoff. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you
    convening this hearing. Congratulations to our panelists for
    your nominations to these high posts, and thank you for putting
    yourselves and your families through the process.
        There are a couple of Georgia connections today that I want
    to acknowledge. Ms. Ahuja, of course, you are a Georgia native
    and an alumna of Spelman and of UGA Law School. Thank you for
    making Georgia proud.
        Mr. Stroman, I understand your son is a Morehouse man. Is
    that correct?
        Mr. Stroman. That is correct.
        Senator Ossoff. Excellent. Well, pleased to be speaking
    with you.
        I want to touch briefly on an issue that is of great
    concern to many Georgians, and that is the decline in the
    timely mail service, particularly over the last year. Many
    Georgians who rely upon USPS to receive prescription drugs, to
    receive correspondence and gifts from family and friends, many
    small businesses who rely upon USPS for vital business purposes
    have contacted me to express their concern about the slow pace
    of mail delivery over the last year. To the three nominated
    potential Governors at the USPS, I would just like a quick
    commitment from you that you will meet with my office and, if
    necessary, come down to Georgia to investigate what may be
    slowing down the mail and to ensure that we restore timely mail
    delivery for the people of Georgia. We could just start with
    you, please, Mr. Hajjar.
        Mr. Hajjar. Absolutely, Senator, I commit to that. Service
    is the most important function of the Postal Service, of
    course, prompt, reliable, and efficient service. We have to get
    to the bottom of why there are problems, and we have to be sure
    to correct them; and, if necessary, to investigate Georgia in
    particular, I commit to doing that.
        Senator Ossoff. Thank you.
        Ms. McReynolds.
        Ms. McReynolds. Yes, Senator, you have my commitment on
    that, and I would also just say that feedback from your
    constituents, as Senator Hassan mentioned earlier, is also
    going to be critical for the work that we need to do to improve
    service. So any and all feedback that you are receiving,
    certainly we will be interested in getting that.
        Senator Ossoff. Thank you. Mr. Stroman.
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you, Senator. Yes, service is going to
    be certainly one of my highest priorities, and you have my
    commitment to focusing on that issue and working with you on
    that issue.
        Senator Ossoff. Thank you, And, Ms. Ahuja, I want to raise
    with you a concern regarding cybersecurity at OPM, infamously a
    huge trove of sensitive records. Personal identifying
    information (PII) for U.S. civil and public servants in
    national security positions was stolen from OPM in recent
    years. Efforts have been made to improve cybersecurity, but we
    continue to see across the Federal Government and throughout
    the private sector a high level of vulnerability to cyber
    attacks.
        Ms. Ahuja, will you commit to working with this Committee
    and my office and to responding promptly to requests for
    information? Will you agree to meet with me and this Committee
    at our request to discuss the efforts that OPM is making to
    improve cybersecurity and protect all of the sensitive data
    about U.S. citizens and U.S. Federal employees that OPM
    stewards?
        Ms. Ahuja. Thank you, Senator Ossoff, for that question,
    and I will absolutely commit to you on all those items. As you
    know, I was there at OPM right after the data breaches. I had
    that experience and understand how incredibly important these
    issues are and the lessons that were learned and what we would
    take forward, if I am confirmed as OPM Director.
        Senator Ossoff. I am glad to hear that, Ms. Ahuja. Thank
    you. As you well know much of the data that you will steward in
    this position, should you be confirmed, is highly sensitive,
    even if it is unclassified, and we need to be making a stronger
    effort across the Federal Government to protect sensitive
    information and defend our networks and our data.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Ossoff.
        Senator Carper, you are recognized for your questions.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CARPER

        Senator Carper. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Welcome to all of our
    witnesses. I especially want to welcome Ron Stroman, whom we
    have known and worked with for many years. Ron, very good to
    see you.
        It is a very special day. As some of you know, today is
    Earth Day. Perhaps the greatest challenge that we face on our
    planet today is climate change, the climate crisis, extreme
    weather, incidents all over the world.
        The greatest sources of emissions with respect to
    greenhouse gases is from our mobile sources. A decade or so
    ago--this will sound familiar to Gary Peters, our Chairman. A
    decade or so ago I was at the Detroit auto show, and I think
    with Senator Stabenow, maybe it was with then-Congressman
    Peters. I am not sure. But the car of the year, vehicle of the
    year that year was the Chevrolet Volt. It got about 38 miles
    per charge. A hybrid vehicle, 38 miles per charge.
        I was out shopping for a new car a couple weeks ago, and I
    think it was a Tesla that got about 350 miles on a charge, and
    they showed me another one that got about 400 miles on a
    charge. But we have General Motors (GM) and we have Ford doing
    remarkable things as well with respect to the ability to get
    electric vehicles out there that just perform amazing things.
        I think Ford--maybe GM announced earlier this year they are
    not going to build any gas-or diesel-powered vehicles in this
    country or maybe in the world after 2035. I think we have a
    similar announcement coming from Ford. I understand that the
    Postal Service is engaged with a company up in Oshkosh,
    Wisconsin, to purchase up to 165,000 new vehicles with vehicle
    rollout between 2023 and 2033. I understand that the Postal
    Service plans an initial order of 75,000 vehicles, some 10
    percent of which will be electric. So that would be 7,500
    vehicles. They need to order about 165,000 vehicles in the next
    decade or so, and we are looking at an initial order of
    vehicles up to 75,000 of which 10 percent will be electric. I
    understand there is a provision in the contract that--they may
    have a provision that would allow the Postal Service to say,
    no, we would like to have some of those vehicles to be
    electric, not diesel or gasoline.
        I just want to say to the folks who have been nominated to
    serve on the Postal Board, the Postal Service has a great
    opportunity here to take the lead in combating climate change,
    and that is by moving away from internal combustion engines and
    the emissions they produce and by investing in a fleet that is
    more of an electric fleet.
        I would like to submit for the record for our Postal Board
    of Governor nominees regarding what actions the Postal Service
    can take to ensure that they are taking appropriate action to
    address the threat of climate change to our planet. If we end
    up 10 years from now and 165,000 postal vehicles have been
    ordered and are being built and put out on the road and we end
    up with just, I will say, 10,000, 20,000, or 30,000 of them are
    electric or maybe powered by hydrogen and fuel cells, if that
    is all we do, we have really missed a great opportunity. And
    especially on Earth Day, I want us to take that message to
    heart.
        I just would say to each of the nominees for the Postal
    Board of Governors, will you respond for the record\1\ and
    share with us your thoughts on this matter, please? Just yes or
    no. Just go down the list. Mr. Stroman.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The information referenced by Senator Carper appears in the
    Appendix on page 147.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Mr. Stroman. Yes, Senator.
        Ms. McReynolds. Yes, Senator.
        Mr. Hajjar. I will say yes again.
        Senator Carper. Thank you.
        I have another question for the nominees for the Postal
    Board of Governors. The Postal Service has the obligation, some
    say the burden, of going to every mailbox in the country
    roughly six times a week--whether they have a lot of mail to
    drop in a mailbox or just a little bit of mail to drop in our
    mailboxes. Einstein used to say, ``In adversity lies
    opportunity,'' and we have to be smart enough--the Postal
    Service can cut costs and innovate and so on, but we have to
    come up with ways to take that burden and make it another
    particular. How do we monetize that obligation? It is really an
    obligation that goes back to the Constitution.
        I want each of you to just give me one idea. How do we
    monetize that obligation to turn it into real revenue with the
    Postal Service going forward? Ron, why don't you go first, then
    Anton and then Amber, please.
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Senator Carper. And be brief. Get right to the point,
    please.
        Mr. Stroman. OK I will get right to the point. One
    recommendation would be that platforms, technology platforms
    are really changing the way businesses work and interact. The
    Postal Service could establish a platform working with the
    Small Business Administration (SBA) to really improve shipping
    and delivery charges all across the country. This is
    particularly important coming out of the pandemic, and I think
    if the Postal Service can strengthen its IT infrastructure, it
    provides just a tremendous opportunity to be able to improve
    its relationship with small businesses and help grow the
    business.
        Senator Carper. All right. Thanks very much.
        Anton.
        Mr. Hajjar. Yes, two things, Senator. One is the plan to
    pursue the growing market in packages. That is helpful, and it
    is complicated. It may require a whole different network to
    perform it, but that is one thing. And providing services in
    post offices where there is a need is also a helpful way to
    capitalize on the network that exists in the Postal Service
    today.
        Senator Carper. Thank you. Ms. McReynolds, please, the same
    question.
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you for the question, Senator, and I
    agree with my colleagues both in the enhancements for small
    business services and also package delivery options. And then I
    will add one more. Being a local official and working in
    election administration, I think there are tremendous
    opportunities that are being missed that we can look at from a
    partnership level with State and local government. A good
    example, just one offhand, the National Change of Address data
    base is a vital and very useful set of data for State and local
    government, not only for elections but other purposes, and that
    is largely being underutilized right now in States. I think
    there is an opportunity to consider some of these other
    opportunities that maybe have not been looked at previously for
    possible expansions of revenue and at least to improve service.
        Senator Carper. Thank you. One last question for the
    record, if I could, Mr. Chairman. A 2010 report of the Postal
    Regulatory Commission (PRC) recommended adopting private sector
    pension cost allocation methods for the postal account within
    the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF) to
    more accurately, more fairly allocate the retirement benefit
    costs for postal retirees between the Federal Government and
    the Postal Service. If confirmed, Kiran, could I ask you to
    answer just for the record,\1\ to commit to reviewing the
    recommendations of this report and taking action as
    appropriate? You do not have to respond now, but we will do
    this for the record.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The information requested by Senator Carper appears in the
    Appendix on page 275.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        All right. Mr. Chairman, a very important hearing. I am
    grateful to the folks who are willing to serve in these
    capacities, heading up OPM and also serving on the Postal Board
    of Governors.
        Thank you so much.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Carper.
        Senator Rosen, you are recognized for your questions.

                   OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR ROSEN

        Senator Rosen. Thank you, Chairman Peters, Ranking Member
    Portman. Thank you to each of our witnesses and their families
    for your time today and for stepping up and being willing to
    serve our country at such a crucial time.
        I want to speak quickly about postal rural delivery,
    because in Nevada, during this pandemic the Postal Service has
    been of particular importance to our rural communities, even
    more so to our rural seniors. In many cases the men and the
    women who deliver the mail are the only people that they may
    see in a day, maybe in a week. I have heard countless stories
    from letter carriers that they check on the welfare of seniors
    who live on their routes, and they serve a role far beyond
    delivering the mail.
        Mr. Hajjar, when we spoke last week, you told me about the
    time you spent working on postal issues, so I know you are
    familiar with the importance of the Postal Service to Nevadans,
    and I want to be sure that we ensure rural communities have
    access to robust, reliable services from the USPS, so rural
    communities like Beatty, Nevada, that has a population of just
    around 800; Caliente, a population just around 900. The Postal
    Service, again, plays a critical role.
        Mr. Hajjar, when we are making operational changes, what
    rural-specific factors should the Postal Service take into
    account?
        Mr. Hajjar. Thank you for that question, Senator. We know
    from the last round of consolidations that service plummeted,
    and we are still suffering with the deterioration of service
    that came from that. So that has to be taken into account when
    plans are consolidated and offices are consolidated. The
    communities have to be consulted specifically, and those views
    have to be taken into account. It is written in the law. It is
    also written in the law that the Postal Service must supply a
    maximum degree of effective services to all communities and
    specifically to rural communities. So that is the law, that is
    what is required, and that is what I am going to be dedicated
    to doing if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed.
        Senator Rosen. Thank you. That leads into my next question
    about the universal service obligation. Although it is not
    clearly defined in statute, I would like to hear from you, Ms.
    McReynolds, and then Mr. Stroman, how you feel about what you
    believe the universal service obligation means.
        Ms. McReynolds. Thank you, Senator Rosen, and for me, while
    it is not clearly defined, for me the universal service
    obligation means that every American should expect reliable,
    affordable, and equitable service across the country. As we
    talked about when we last spoke, I did grow up in a rural
    community, and in my work with election administration, I
    understand very clearly the needs of rural communities, and I
    think what is even more important is to engage rural
    communities and stakeholders within those communities about the
    needs that they have specifically with regards to the Postal
    Service and their businesses and everything else that they rely
    on the Postal Service for.
        Senator Rosen. Mr. Stroman, do you want to tell me how you
    feel about the universal service obligation?
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you, Senator Rosen. I think it is one of
    the foundational principles for the Postal Service. All
    Americans should be able to send and receive mail and access
    postal services at a reasonable rate, 6 days a week. I think it
    is one of the strengths of the Postal Service. If you go back
    and look at the Postal Reorganization Act, one of the founding
    principles is rural America. I have gone to rural parts of the
    country, and I have talked to rural business owners, and I have
    talked to customers, and I know how dependent they are on the
    Postal Service.
        It is absolutely critical that the Postal Service provide
    its reasonable access, delivery services to all parts of the
    country, but particularly to rural parts of our Nation.
        Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate that. I think it is
    a foundational principle as well. But I would like to move
    quickly to the implementation of the STOP Act. Ranking Member
    Portman introduced that. I was proud to cosponsor it because we
    know that much of our supply of potent synthetic opioids enters
    the U.S. illegally, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement
    Agency (DEA), through our mail system. Las Vegas Valley,
    unfortunately, is a big market and an important hub, again, I
    am sorry to say, for illegal narcotics. The DEA and the Centers
    for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in one of their threat
    assessments in 2018 had Nevada as having one of the highest
    death rates for overdose from semi-synthetic prescription pain
    medication.
        Again, Ranking Member Portman's STOP Act, how do you think
    that is going to help us stop the flow of these illegal drugs
    coming through the mail? I guess I have a little time left. I
    will start back with you, Mr. Stroman, and then if we have
    time, Ms. McReynolds, please.
        Mr. Stroman. Thank you, Senator, for that question. I think
    it is going to be and it has been enormously helpful, the
    Postal Service takes the advance electronic data and works with
    Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It is Customs and Border
    Protection's responsibility to determine whether or not they
    believe there may be illicit drugs coming into our shores from
    overseas. So having that information that the Postal Service
    can access is absolutely critical.
        As I said to Senator Portman, I think that the Postal
    Service has a responsibility to enforce that provision, work
    with Customs and Border Protection to implement it. I think it
    will be and has been an important tool to help identifying and
    preventing illicit drugs from coming into the country.
        Senator Rosen. I think I am going to have to take Ms.
    McReynolds' and Mr. Hajjar's comments off the record. We will
    submit them. I believe my time has expired, Mr. Chairman, so we
    will just ask for them to submit that in writing to us.
        Thank you.
        Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Rosen, for your
    questions.
        I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for
    being here today, and congratulations again to each and every
    one of you for your nominations for these very important
    positions. We certainly appreciated the opportunity to ask you
    questions, and we will begin our adjournment process right now.
        In order to close this hearing, I am going to make the
    following statement: All of the nominees have made financial
    disclosures\1\ and provided responses to biographical and
    prehearing questions submitted by this Committee.\2\ Without
    objection, this information will be made part of the hearing
    record,\3\ with the exception of the financial data, which is
    on file and available for public inspection at the Committee
    office.\4\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\ The information of Ms. Ahuja appears in the Appendix on page
    43.
        \2\ The information of Mr. Hajjar appears in the Appendix on page
    107.
        \3\ The information of Ms. McReynolds appear in the Appendix on
    page 163.
        \4\ The information of Mr. Stroman appears in the Appendix on page
    233.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        The hearing record will remain open until 12 p.m. tomorrow,
    April 23rd, for the submission of statements and questions for
    the record. With that, this hearing is now adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 12:10 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]

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