Congressional Hearings Regarding the Postal Service

Below are links to recent congressional hearings regarding the Postal Service.  This information is provided to make it easier for people to research and learn about the many issues relevant to the Postal Service, democracy, and postal workers.  Please share with others what you find.

For the members of Congress, the code in parenthesis is Democrat “D” or Republican “R” and State. For example, Darrell Issa is a Republican from California and so he is referred to as Darrell Issa (R-CA).  The Ranking Member is a member of the minority party, Democrats in the House, and Republicans in the Senate, who lead the minority party for that particular committee.  The Ranking Member does not have to be the senior member.

Except for the most recent hearings, which are not yet available, the transcripts in text and PDF format are linked to the Government Printing Office (GPO) website.   The text version does not allow you see everything in the PDF version, but can be valuable for copying text and quick searches.

It is noteworthy that usually only a few members of Congress attend the hearings and that the Chair and Ranking Member tend to dominate the discussion and are most likely to put forward a bill.

Please let me know of any mistakes and/or suggestions to improve this section.

October 3, 2013 - Nominations of Hon. Tony Hammond and Hon. Nanci E. Langley to be Commissioner, Postal Regulatory Commission

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Senate Video

September 26, 2013 – Outside the Box: Reforming and Renewing the Postal Service, Part II – Maintaining Services, Reducing Costs and Increasing Revenue Through Innovation and Modernization

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats (not yet available)
Senate Video and Witness Documents September 26, 2013 – Part 2
C-SPAN Video September 26, 2013 – Part 2

Witnesses
Panel I
Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General
Jonathan Foley, Director, Planning and Policy Analysis, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Frank Todisco, Chief Actuary, U.S. Government Accountability Office
John E. Dicken, Director, Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Panel II
Fredric V. Rolando, President, National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO
John F. Hegarty, National President, National Postal Mail Handlers Union
Robert J. Rapoza, President, National Association of Postmasters of the United States
Douglas J. Holtz-Eakin, Ph.D., President, American Action Forum
Dean Baker, Ph.D., Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research

September 19, 2013 – Outside the Box: Reforming and Renewing the Postal Service, Part I – Maintaining Services, Reducing Costs and Increasing Revenue Through Innovation and Modernization

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats (not yet available)
Senate Video and Witness Documents September 19, 2013 – Part 1
C-SPAN Video September 19, 2013 – Part 1

Witnesses
Panel I
Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General
Ruth Y. Goldway, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission
David C. Williams, Inspector General, USPS
Panel II
Cliff Guffey, President, American Postal Workers Union
Jeanette P. Dwyer, President, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association
John Beeder, President and Chief Operating Officer, American Greetings
Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice President Government Affairs, Direct Marketing Association, Inc.
Seth Weisberg, Chief Legal Officer, Stamps.com

7/17/2013 - A Path Forward on Postal Reform

Hearing Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Present: Representatives Issa, Mica, Duncan, Chaffetz, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, DesJarlais, Gowdy, Farenthold, Collins, Bentivolio, Cummings, Maloney, Norton, Tierney, Clay, Connolly, Cartwright, Pocan, Duckworth, Welch, Cardenas, and Lujan Grisham.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
House Video and Witness Documents
C-SPAN Video

Witnesses
Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE)
Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General, USPS
Joel Quadracci, President and CEO, Quad Graphics
Cliff Guffey, President, APWU

4/17/2013 - Options to Bring the Postal Service Back From Insolvency

Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, US Postal Service and the Census.
Chairman Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
House Video and Participant Documents
C-SPAN Video 

Witnesses
Mickey Barnett, Chairman, Board of Governors, USPS
Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General, GAO
Mr. Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General & CEO, USPS
Mr. Frederic Rolando, President, The National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO

4/11/13 - Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Is it a Good Value for Federal Employees?

Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, US Postal Service and the Census
Chairman Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and Ranking Member Eleanor Norton (D-DC)
Present: Representatives Farenthold, Walberg, Gowdy, DeSantis, Issa and Norton.
Also Present: Representative Connolly.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
House Video and Participant Documents 

Witnesses
Mr. Jonathan Foley, Director, Planning and Policy Analysis, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Mr. William A. Breskin, Vice President of Government Programs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Mr. Thomas C. Choate, Chief Growth Officer, United Health Care
Mr. Mark Merritt, President and CEO, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
Ms. Jacqueline Simon, Public Policy Director, American Federation of Government Employees.

Additional Statements for the Record
Testimony of Walton Francis, Independent Consultant and Principal Author of Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees

4/10/2013 - Ahead of Postal Reform: Hearing From USPS Business Partners

Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, US Postal Service and the Census
Chairman Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA)

Present: Representatives Farenthold, Walberg, Collins, DeSantis, Norton, Clay, Cummings.
Also Present: Representatives Connolly, Davis.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
House Video and Participant Documents

Witnesses
Mr. Steven Brandt, President and Publisher, Greenville News
Ms. Joy Franckowiak, Director, Postal Affairs and Distribution, Valpak
Ms. Meta Brophy, Director, Procurement Operations, Consumer Reports
Mr. Carl Janssens, Vice President, Pharmacy Operations, CVS Caremark
Mr. J. Kenneth Garner, President and CEO, Association of Marketing Service Providers
Mr. Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Direct Marketing Association
Mr. Carl Gish, Vice President, Global Shipping for the eBay Marketplace

2/13/2013 -Solutions to the Crisis Facing the U.S. Postal Service

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Present: Senators Carper, Levin, Pryor, Tester, Begich, Baldwin, Heitkamp, Coburn, Enzi, and Ayotte.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
Senate Video and Participant Documents

Witnesses
Hon. Darrell E. Issa (R-CA)
Hon. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD)
Hon. Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General, USPS
Hon. Eugene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Cliff Guffey, President, American Postal Workers Union
Jeanette P. Dwyer, President, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association
Robert J. Rapoza, President, National Association of Postmasters of the United States
Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Quad/Graphics, Inc.,
R. Richard Geddes, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University

Additional Statements for the Record
Hamilton Davison, President and Executive Director, American Catalog Mailers Association
Donna Harman, President and CEO, American Forest and Paper Association, Inc.
Benjamin Y. Cooper and Arthur B. Sackler, Co-Managers, Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service
Fredric V. Rolando, President, National Association of Letter Carriers
Joseph A. Beaudoin, President, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association
National League of Postmasters
Steven Mitzel, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Valassis Shared Mail, Valassis Communications, Inc.

7/12/2012 - Nomination of Stephen Crawford

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Tom Carper (D-DE) served as chair for the hearing and asked all the questions.
Present: Senator Carper
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
Senate Video and Participant Documents
C-SPAN Video 

Witness
Stephen Crawford

9/6/2011 - Proposals to Prevent a Postal Shutdown

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME)
Present: Senators Lieberman, Akaka, Carper, Pryor, McCaskill, Begich, Collins, Coburn, Brown, and Moran.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
Video and Participant Documents
C-SPAN Video 

Witnesses
Hon. Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Postal Service
Hon. John Berry, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Phillip R. Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Thomas D. Levy, Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary, The Segal Company
Cliff Guffey, President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
Louis M. Atkins, President, National Association of Postal Supervisors
Ellen Levine, Editorial Director, Hearst Magazines, Hearst Corporation
Tonda F. Rush, Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel, National Newspaper Association

7/28/2011 - Nominations of Mark Acton and Robert Taub to be Commissioners on the PRC

Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) presiding
Present: Senators Carper, Pryor, Tester, Begich, and Brown.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
Video and Participant Documents 

Witnesses
Hon. John M. McHugh
Hon. Mark D. Acton
Hon. George A. Omas
Robert G. Taub

6/15/2011 - Postal Infrastructure: How Much Can We Afford?

Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, US Postal Service and the Census
Chairman Dennis Ross (R-FL) and Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Present: Representatives Ross, Amash, Lynch, Connolly, and Davis.
Also present: Representative Napolitano.
Staff present: Robert Borden, general counsel; Adam Bordes, senior policy analyst; Molly Boyl, parliamentarian; Drew Colliatie, staff assistant; Howard A. Denis, senior counsel; Ronald Allen and Kevin Corbin, minority staff assistants; and William Miles, minority professional staff member.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
Video and Participant Documents

Witnesses
David Williams, vice president, Network Operations Management, USPS, accompanied by
Dean Granholm, vice president, Delivery and Post Office Operations, USPS; and
Phillip Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Michael Winn, president, Greylock Associates, LLC;
Joe Hete, president and CEO, ATSG, Inc.
Cliff Guffey, president, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO.

Additional Statements for the Record
Hon. Gerald E Connolly (D-VA)
Hon. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD)
Hon. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Hon. Judy Chu (D-CA)
Hon. Adam B. Schiff (D-CA)

5/17/2011 - Addressing the U.S. Postal Service’s Financial Crisis

Hearing Before the Senate Subcommittee Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Scott Brown (R-MA)
Present: Senators Carper, Akaka, Pryor, McCaskill, Begich, and Brown.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
C-SPAN Video 

Witnesses
Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Postal Service
Phillip R. Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Margaret Cigno, Director of Accountability and Compliance, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission
David Williams, Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service
Cliff Guffey, President, American Postal Workers Union
Mark Strong, President, National League of Postmasters
Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Direct Marketing Association.

Prepared statement submitted by Robert Rapoza, National Association of Postmasters of the United States

5/12/2011 - Reviewing Workers’ Compensation for Federal Employees

Hearing Before the Subcommittee of Workforce Protections
Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Ranking Member Lynne Woolsey (D-CA)
Present: Representatives Walberg, Kline, Rokita, Bucshon, Woolsey, Payne, Kucinich, and Bishop.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Daniel Bertoni, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, Government Accountability Office
Sue Carney, national human relations director, American Postal Workers Union (AFL-CIO)
Elliot P. Lewis, Assistant Inspector General for Audit, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor
Gary Steinberg, Acting Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor
Scott Szymendera, analyst in disability policy, Congressional Research Service

Additional Statements for the Record
Colleen M. Kelley, national president, National Treasury Employees Union
Joseph A. Beaudoin, president, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association
Milagro Rodriguez, occupational health and safety specialist, American Federation of Government Employees

4/13/2011 - Federal Employees’ Compensation Act: A Fair Approach?

Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy
Chairman Dennis Ross (R-FL) and Ranking Minority Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Present: Representatives Ross, Amash, Lynch, Norton, Connolly, and Davis.
Also present: Representative Issa.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Gary Steinberg, Acting Director, Office of Workers Compensation, U.S. Department of Labor, accompanied by
Douglas Fitzgerald, Director, Division of Federal Employees Compensation
Bill Siemer, assistant inspector general for investigations, U.S. Postal Service
Lisa McManus, president, CCS Holdings, L.P.
Milagro Rodriguez, occupational health and safety specialist, American Federation of Government Employees

4/5/2011 - Are Postal Workforce Costs Sustainable?

Hearing Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Present: Representatives Issa, Mica, Jordan, Mack, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Buerkle, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Walsh, Ross, Guinta, Farenthold, Kelly, Cummings, Towns, Maloney, Norton, Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Braley, Welch, Yarmuth, Murphy, and Speier.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Louis J. Giuliano, chairman, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors
James C. Miller III, governor, U.S. Postal Service
Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Postal Service
Cliff Guffey, president, American Postal Workers Union, AFL–CIO.

3/2/2011 - Pushing the Envelope: The Looming Crisis at USPS

Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, US Postal Service and the Census
Chairman Dennis Ross (R-FL) and Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Present: Representatives Ross, Amash, Jordan, Chaffetz, Mack, Walberg, Gowdy, Lynch, Norton, Connolly, and Davis.
Also present: Representatives Issa and Cummings.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats
House Video and Participant Documents

Witnesses
Patrick Donahoe, postmaster general, U.S. Postal Service
Ruth Goldway, chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission
Phil Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Government Accountability Office
Jim Sampey, executive vice president and chief, operation officer, Valpak
Arthor Sackler, coordinator, Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, Sackler Policy Services, LLC
Frederic Rolando, director of legislative and political affairs, National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO)

Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record
Hon. Gerald Connolly (D-VA)
Hon. Darrell E. Issa (R-CA)
Hon. Dennis A. Ross (R-FL)

12/2/2010 - Finding Solutions to the Challenges Facing the U.S. Postal Service

Hearing Before the Senate Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME)
Present: Senators Carper, Collins, and Coburn.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Patrick R. Donahoe, Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating  Officer, U.S. Postal Service
The Honorable Ruth Y. Goldway, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission
Jonathan Foley, Director of Planning and Policy Analysis, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Phillip Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Frederic Rolando, President, National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO
Robert J. Rapoza, National President, National Association of Postmasters of the United States
Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice President Government Affairs, Direct Marketing Association, Inc., on behalf of Affordable Mail Alliance

Statement submitted by Mark Strong, President of the National League of Postmasters

6/23/2010 - HAVING THEIR SAY: CUSTOMER AND EMPLOYEE VIEWS ON THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Joint Hearing of Senate and House Subcommittees
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ) absent – Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Present: Senators Carper, Akaka, McCaskill, Burris, and Coburn.
Representatives Lynch, Holmes-Norton, Kucinich, Clay, Connolly, and Chaffetz.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
James H. Gooden, Chairman, Board of Directors, American Lung Association, on behalf of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers
Donald J. Hall, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Hallmark Cards, Inc
Allen Abbott, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Paul Fredrick MenStyle, Inc., and Chairman, American Catalog Mailers Association
Keith McFalls, Vice President of Operations, PrimeMail and Triessant, Prime Therapeutics, on behalf of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
Paul Misener, Vice President of Global Public Policy, Amazon.com
Andrew Rendich, Chief Service and DVD Operations Officer, Netflix, Inc.
Don Cantriel, President, National Rural Letter Carriers Association
Frederic V. Rolando, President, National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO
William Burrus, President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL–CIO
Richard Collins, Assistant to the President, National Postal Mail Handlers Union
Louis Atkins, Executive Vice President, National Association of Postal Supervisors
Charles Mapa, President, National League of Postmasters
Robert J. Rapoza, President, National Association of Postmasters of the United States.

4/22/2010 - THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Hearing Before the Senate Subcommittee Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ) absent – Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Present: Senators Carper, Akaka, and Coburn.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Phillip Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office;
Hon. John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Postal Service;
Hon. David C. Williams, Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service;
Hon. Ruth Y. Goldway, Commissioner, Postal Regulatory Commission

4/15/10 - Continuing to Deliver: An Examination of the Postal Service’s Current Financial Crisis and its Future Viability

Joint Hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, US Postal Service and the Census
Chairman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Present: Representatives Lynch, Maloney, Cummings, Kucinich, Tierney, Clay, Watson, Connolly, Quigley, Davis, Foster, Speier, Driehaus, Chu, Issa, Burton, Duncan, Jordan, and Luetkemeyer.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Ruth Goldway, chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission
David Williams, Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service
John O’Brien, Senior Advisor to the Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Kevin Kosar, Analyst in American National Government, Congressional Research Service
John E. Potter, Postmaster General and CEO, U.S. Postal Service
Phillip Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office.

3/16/2010 - ARE FEDERAL AND POSTAL EMPLOYEES SAFE AT WORK?

Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia
Chairman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Ranking Member Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
Present: Representatives Lynch, Norton, Cummings, Connolly, and Chaffetz.
Hearing Transcripts in PDF and Text Formats

Witnesses
Robert Bernstock, president, Mailing and Shipping Services, U.S. Postal Service
Ruth Goldway, chairman, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission
Phillip Herr, Director, Physical Infrastructure, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Michael Coughlin, deputy postmaster general, U.S. Postal Service (ret.)
Robert Reisner, president and CEO, Transformation Strategies

How Congress Handles Witness Selection
Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress, 11/30/2012
Senate Committee Hearings: Preparation 10/24/2012
Senate Committee Hearings: Arranging Witnesses 10/25/2012
House Committee Hearings: Preparation, 11/26/2012
House Committee Hearings: Arranging Witnesses, 8/16/2007