[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2475-S2476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    U.S. Postal Service Nominations

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the two U.S. 
Postal Service Board of Governors nominees that are before the Senate 
this afternoon, as well as a third nominee under consideration later 
this month.
  Like our Presiding Officer, I had the privilege of serving our 
country in a time of war and a time of peace, with three tours in 
Southeast Asia and a good deal of time in the Cold War after that. My 
dad had many years in the Navy, and my uncle, my mom's youngest 
brother, was an enlisted man, a third-class petty officer on an 
aircraft carrier in 1944, the USS Suwannee. There was a kamikaze 
attack, and it never recovered.
  I know how important it was to my uncle, to my dad, and to myself 
when we would receive mail, whether it was in Southeast Asia, whether 
my uncle was deployed on his aircraft carrier or my dad was deployed 
around the world--how important the mail was.
  I know how important the Postal Service was to tens of millions of 
people who voted last fall in local elections, State elections, and 
Federal elections across this country--more than ever, ever in the 
history of our country.
  There are some people I know who think that the Postal Service is a 
relic and is not something that we need. Ask the people who receive 
their medicine, not just their mail today, not just the things that 
they have ordered to come and are delivered by the Postal Service--all 
kinds of stuff--but also the people who receive medicines, whether they 
are veterans or other people from all walks of life.
  The Postal Service today has had a profoundly challenging year. It 
has had a profoundly challenging year with the global pandemic. Drastic 
reforms were made without full knowledge of their service impact, and a 
busy holiday season created tremendous challenges for this venerable 
institution.
  Delays in mail and package delivery increased last year while 
employees struggled with the effects of the pandemic on themselves and 
their families. At a time when reliance on mail and package delivery 
was perhaps higher than ever, the U.S. Postal Service struggled to 
deliver mail and packages in a timely and a predictable way.
  Delays in the mail service have real world impact in communities 
large and small. In Delaware, veterans of our Armed Forces had to wait 
longer for lifesaving medications and delayed packages. Our Delaware 
congressional delegation heard from literally hundreds of constituents 
in our State about missed paychecks, credit card bills, and court 
notices.
  ``Mom and Pop'' shops in my State--and I guess in Arizona, the home 
of our Presiding Officer--may have suffered from the delays. ``Mom and 
Pop'' shops in my State and across the country have suffered from 
delayed deliveries of important supplies to run their business and to 
stay in business. Many poultry farmers, particularly in more rural 
parts of Delaware and on the Delmarva Peninsula, to include the Eastern 
Shore of Maryland and Virginia, too, were shocked to find that baby 
chicks died in the course of delayed postal deliveries to their farms.
  These impacts were unacceptable. They were driven by the pandemic and 
decisions largely made at the top of the Postal Service.
  Further, Postmaster DeJoy released in March a 10-year strategic plan 
that doesn't do enough to address the significant operational 
challenges being faced right now at the U.S. Postal Service. The plan 
limits operating hours and lowers service standards, which would harm 
many seniors and rural Delawareans up and down our State and across the 
country. If implemented, such a plan would make it harder, not easier, 
to restore confidence in the Postal Service.
  Fast forward to today. By selecting these nominees to the U.S. Postal 
Board of Governors, it has become clear that President Biden recognizes 
the dire need to get the Postal Service back to its core mission--
reliable, affordable, and on-time mail delivery service for Americans 
across this country.
  These well-qualified nominees--and they are well-qualified nominees--
also make clear President Biden's desire to drive innovation at the 
Postal Service that can keep costs low while boosting revenue 
opportunities and protecting the livelihoods of the men and women who 
work tirelessly to deliver our mail.
  Ron Stroman, whom I have had the privilege of knowing for more than a 
decade, is himself a former Deputy Postmaster General, a role he served 
in from 2011 to 2020, a longtime Federal servant--and he is a servant. 
Mr. Stroman has intimate knowledge of this institution and how to make 
long-lasting positive changes in large organizations like the U.S. 
Postal Service.
  Amber McReynolds is currently the CEO for the National Vote at Home 
Institute and Coalition. What do they do? Well, they work to make it 
easier for Americans to vote securely, to vote safely, and to vote 
conveniently. Delivering ballots by mail is one of the most solemn 
obligations that the Postal Service has. It is the underpinning of our 
democracy in this country.
  Finally, Mr. Anton Hajjar is the third nominee, whose nomination we 
are considering later in this work period, not today. Mr. Hajjar is the 
former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union, where he 
fought to make sure that mail carriers and other postal employees get 
the support that they deserve.
  At the hearing we had last month in the Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Committee, I was thoroughly impressed with each of 
these nominees and their knowledge of the needs of the Postal Service. 
All three nominees exhibited professionalism, the expertise, the 
leadership, and the commitment--the commitment--that we need at the 
Postal Service Board of Governors. Think of the Board of Governors 
almost like a board of directors for a company. They don't run the 
Postal Service every day, but they help set the tone, policies, and 
oversee the operations.
  Further, these three nominees agree that the Postal Service has 
tremendous opportunities ahead. The Postal Service is currently in the 
midst of a once-in-a-lifetime update to the postal delivery vehicles, 
with a prime opportunity to be a leader in the fight against climate 
change. The Postal Service will replace up to 165,000 vehicles.
  So, every now and then, we see postal vehicles--probably every day. 
We probably look at them sometimes and say: That looks like an old 
vehicle. The reason it looks like an old vehicle is because it is. Many 
of them are 25 years old. They run on gasoline. They run on diesel. 
They pollute, and they break down. We have an opportunity here to 
replace them with a new fleet of low-emission or no-emission vehicles 
powered by batteries and powered by hydrogen fuel cells
  The nominees we are considering today and later this month also agree 
that the Postal Service has an obligation to work with Congress to 
enact important postal reform legislation which would help the agency 
save tens of billions of dollars over the next 10 years.
  How might that happen? One, by better integrating postal retirees' 
healthcare with the Medicare Program and by repealing a burdensome 
retiree health benefit obligation that most other large companies don't 
have to bear.
  I often refer to a saying made popular by Albert Einstein. I am not 
smart like Albert Einstein, but I am smart enough to quote Albert 
Einstein. Albert Einstein used to say: ``In adversity lies 
opportunity.'' Think about that: ``In adversity lies opportunity.''
  The Bible says something like this: In all things, give thanks.
  I think it was Henry Ford who said: ``If you think you can or you 
think you can't, you're right.''
  But Einstein said: ``In adversity lies opportunity.'' The Postal 
Service has faced considerable adversity over the last decade or two. 
This has been perhaps the most difficult stretch in its long and 
storied history.
  You know, the Postal Service is not an idea that somebody dreamed up 
30, 40, 50, or 60 years ago. It was originally outlined in the 
Constitution and the first Post Master General was a guy named Ben 
Franklin. After that storied history, we have an opportunity to face

[[Page S2476]]

the adversities the Postal Service faces today with an opportunity to 
confirm three well-qualified Postal Service Board of Governors to 
public service who will be ready on day one--not a month from now or a 
year from now, but on day one--to ensure that this invaluable 
institution is able to meet its vital mission.
  I am proud to support them. I am proud to say I know them, and I urge 
my colleagues to support them as well--two of them later today and 
another one probably later this month.
  With that I yield the floor.