Duty in asia. I continued to fly fighter jets until i refired from the military with the rank of commander in 2001. After my time on active duty, i also became a pilot for a commercial air carrier. As a commercial airline pilot, i was performing my primary duty. And association that was importantly conceived in 1931 to represent airmail pilots. I had many appointed and elected positions in the association ultimately becoming the president of alba from 2011 to 2014. I represented more than 50,000 u. S. And canadian pilots at over 30 companies on contractual, safety, and government policy matters. I lead a team to address complex bankruptcy rein restructuring. Nothing was easy and they had to Work Together to settle negotiated agreements. I also served on numerous safety committees including the federal aviation fa advisory committee. Air traffic services, and appointed as the faa drone advisory committee. Last year i also cochaired the department of transportations Second Committee to review the faa certification process. When i was nominated for a position on the board of governors i was truly honored. More importantly im motivated to get to work to help the Postal Service strive. As a proud american suicide and a veteran of our Armed Forces Im forever grateful for the mail sent from my parents to me at the mail call near my tent in south korea in 1983. And today i send mail to my youngest son, who is currently on a ship in the middle east. Letters to and from our men and women in uniform, birthday cards, essential cares act stimulus directs, or routine corresponden correspondence, the usps providing affordable mail to the pub slick an enterprise that im supported to proceed. If confirmed, i intend to spend intensive time working with the current board, the new postmaster general, the usps labor, and all stake oholders t better understand the problems theyre fating. Im not a postal expert and im just beginning in the beginning stages of understanding the Postal Services current challenges. Im someone that believes that any problem solvable and as i have stated previously, i have worked on complex issues concerned many of the same challenges with multiple take stakeholders and identifying issues. Driving consensus on a comprehensive plan and deciding how to execute that plan with thorough, measured welcome and transparent oversight success will follow. I look forward to facing the challenges and i am confidence that we will Work Together to continue to meet the expectations of the American People and uphold the mission of the usps. Thank you chairman longstandingford, members of the committee, and i look forward to your questions. I thank President Trump for the nomination and for your consideration to my appointment to the board of governors. The last time i was in a position to serve directly was 1970 when i enlisted in the Army National guard. In the 50 years since i have accumulated substantial experience that i believe will help me make a contribution to help solve the important challenges facing the Postal Service and give me an opportunity once again to serve my country. The founders thought the Postal Service was important enough to include it in the constitution. The fact that it remained an integral component throughout our history is a confirmation of their foresight. As a resident of kansas i can verify the added importance thof Vital Service to Rural America where the Postal Service is important. I want to help solidify. I blended organizations and three different fortune 500 companies. My last position was the most relevant to the Postal Service since it was a nationwide unionized Logistics Network. The company was on the brink of financial failure when it took over. By working in concert on a strategy focused on mutual success, we were able to deliver four consecutive years of record revenue and profitability. In the process we delivered Outstanding Service to our hundreds of thousands of customers if they were in manhattan, kansas or the island of kansas. I am familiar with turn around situations. In my 15 years we served every zip code in the country. Our own version of the universal Service Obligation. We were on time regardless of distance or density and in the most e efficiency ent way possible. We were also able to off set costs. We were also a direct participant in the postal delivery process by providing consolidation and deconsolidation services. We were able to deal with billions of dollars of unfunded liability and some of the multiemployer health and pension funds. From a broader governance perspective, i worked effectively for nearly 20 years on public boards in the health care, technology, real estate, and transportation industries. I also had the opportunity to experience Postal Service outside. Five years in europe, three in canada, and a year in japan gave me a few different approaches to mail delivery. No other competitor has that. And it is why ups, fed exand amazon use the Postal Service on a regular and frequent basis to complete their deliveries. I dont yet have an indepth knowledge, im anxious to learn as much as possible. So if im fortunate enough to be confirmed, i will work with congress, host a Regulatory Commission, and i will insure a Sustainable Future for this required and fundamentally important asset. The United States Postal Service. Thank you i look forward to your questions. Thank you, mr. Robins . Chairman langford, i appreciate this opportunity to present my qualifications and respond to your questions regarding my nomination to be and associate judge. I want to thank the president for the honor and privilege of his nomination and the district of Columbia Commission for its recommendation to the public. I carry out my responsibilities with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. This is the second time that i have been honored to have a nomination considered by this committee. I have a long and productive history with this committee. Both majority and minority as those have shifted over the years. And before that with the Senate Government affair committees. I believe that my 30 year legal career prepared me well for this new position. I served as a commercial civil litigation attorney. At both law firms and as inhouse council. As the sharm noted i was a acting member where i adjudicated over 4,000 cases. I am presently the gll council at opm. I was a rule advisor ape the armys 177nd infantry birgade. Covering justice and judicial issues. Serving as a judge would be the honor of my lifetime and the crowning achievement of my career. As i noticed in 2012 i was conscious of moving from the mofgsal world in Public Service to that of an ause cay tor. I enjoy adjudication. Before concluding i would like to thank those who assisted me in the process. And future colleges at the Dc Superior Court. Finally and most importantly i want to thank my family. My mother passes away three years ago but they were here in person. My sister, brother, and their families are here today in spirit and through technology. Mr. Chairman again, thank you, i will look forward to responding to any questions you may have. Thank you. Mr. Ross . Good morngs, mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and members of the committee. It is an honor to be considered and i want to thank the members of the committee and the staff for my consideration. And the president for nominating me. I would like to thank my parents for teaching me the value of hard work and my siblings for keeping me grounded. I would like to thank my in laws for always leading by example including the other continued guidance and support. I would like to thank the members of the out Ethics Committee for their leadership and allowing me to work alongside of them and most importantly i would like to thank my incredible wife for her love and support. Im a proud Third Generation washingtonian. And now were caring for children in need and running a treatment foster care agency. Following their Public Service footsteps and serving the earn district of virginia. Civil and criminal litigants. I went on to work for a Large International law firm here in washington dc. I do my probono work and for seven years, i served beside some of the most dedicated in the country and the civil decision. In my ten year, i managed a large and complex case docket. I have had the great honor and the committee on etices where i have investigated criminal and civil matters. During my time with the ethic the committee, i moved away fra traditional advocacy on behalf of a individual or entity and reviewed system. And understanding the need to move matters expetitidiously. They are using the tech names, insights, and skills that i have developed to serve my fellow residents as an associate judge. If confirmed i will ensure that all litigants are treated fairly,ly enforce the rule of law and i will be steadfast in upholding the constitution. I look fwaerd to answering your questions. Thank you very much. Good morning members of the committee. It is a great privilege to be here. Im deeply grateful for the opportunity to appear before you as you consider my nomination for the superior court at the district of columbia. I would like to thank those who recommended me and nominated me. I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the people considering my nomination this difficult period. I would like to single out my husband and life partner for his love and support over the last 25 years. Without him i could not have accomplished everything i have professionally or have raised my three wonderful children. I thank my children for being the light of my life. The strong and independent minded individuals that you are, and for sharing your mother with one of this country great institutions. To the men and women of the department of justice, working with you has been the honor of a lifetime. Youre the best and brightest colleagues imaginable. I thank my colleges in the federal Programs Branch for being part of my family for the last 19 plus years. Your devotion is second to none. Im a native detroiter and graduate of the university of michigan. From there i moved to washington dc to attend law school and i never left. My daughter is a local actress and casting director. My second is playing soccer in college and my son is an offensive lineman playing football for the university of michigan. I started my career as a judicial law clerk. From there i moved to the department of justice in the Civil Division of the did d. O. J. I started as a line attorney with a wide line of cases. I became a supervisor specializing specializing. I was also a United States attorney for a limited time. I have been honored to represent the federal committee. The nature of those proceedings is a model for the judiciary. Qualities that i hope to bring to the bench. I look forward to any questions you may have. I mentioned before that im going to defer my questions until the very end to allow other members to be allowed to jump in and ask their questions first. We have a set of mandatory questions that every person before this committee needs to be able to answer so this will be a little more awkward than normal. I would ask all five of you to unmute your microphone, and i will ask you a yes or no question and call each of you by name as i go through these. The first, is there anything that youre aware of in your background that might present a conflict of interest with the beauties of the office to which you have been nominated . No. No. Mr. Robbins . No, sir. Mr. Ross. No. Do you know of anything personal or otherwise that would prevent you from fully and honorably discharging the duties of the office. No. No. No. No. No. Thank you, do you agree to comply with any request or summons to appear and testify before any committee of congress if you are confirmed . Yes if. Yes. Yes, sir. Yes. Yes. Great, thank you very much. I want to defer questions on then. I think senator hassen is not there, she had to cut off to another committee, if youre still there let us know quick, i think she had to go to another committee. Good morning, mr. Chairman. Good morning. Good morning to each of our nominees and thank you for not only your willingness to serve but thank you for joining us today. I was privileged to serve as a naval flight officer, and i must say that are you retired marine or navy . Im a retired navy commander, but son of a retired marine master sergeant. Im the son of a retired chief navy officer. I had uncles that served in world war ii, the army, the navy, my grandmother is a gold star mother. We know what i it means to serve. Did i understand that you also serv served . Youre mutes, sir . The Army National guard. That counts. I used today be commander and chief of the Army National guard. I took a navy guy and made him commander of the guard. I was proud to serve. I also had the privilege to nominate all of the courts in delaware which delaware when it comes to the judiciary. I would say and reading the bios. And what excellent excellent nominees and i think were really fortunate. I want to ask a question if i can. What did you learn about this service. Nominating the confirmation, what have you learned that has direct pearing on the hearing. What have you learned about how we might address the causes, not jury to sir vie or linger, but to thrive . What have you learned from the confirmation process. Maybe something you didnt know. I reviewed a few of the reports and this might be a little naive, but it seems like other problems that, you know, we have dealt with in the past that Everyone Needs to come together and this is congress, that is the chairman and the board, that is having a fully functioning board of governors, that is usps management. That is our front line employees doing an incredible job every day. Usps labor, and most importantly their customers, the citizens of the United States. And we have many benefits here. We have mail delivered under the uso all across the country and around the globe really. And that is quite an advantage that has perhaps not been looked at, but the solution to this problem is that even has to recognize they have a part in it and you need to first identify all of the challenges here and get everyone to step up in a transparent fashion and decide how to go from a to b. I believe it is very doable. And then make sure you have someone leading from a to b and hold everyone accountable from a to b. Hold it right there. I believe it is very solvable. Thank you, that is good, i like that optimism. What did you learn going through the process. First i learned that could you speak just a little bit louder. First of all i learned there is some very complex problems here that look very similar to the problems i faced on the commercial side. They include cost disadvantages, a similar situation welcome so there is a lot of things that are similar on the challenge side. I would echo a little bit of what lisa i think the solution to this is also very complex and it falls looking at network optizatimazation. The last delivery that i think is something that i can probably focus a little bit more on once i get a little bit more knowledge under by belt but i think the real estate answer is get a strategy that is about presentive, but that doesnt have a ten year horizon. I think we need a strategy that as sequencing, and get everyone in the Organization Behind that strategy execution. And then work with congress and the prc to make sure they also buy into that strategy. It is really getting that transparency, everybody in this challenge, getting them moving in the same direction. Albert einstein used to say inadversity is opportunity. There is plenty of inadversity here for the Postal Service but also some opportunity web and the requirement is to go to every mailbox in the country roughly six days a week. It is a burden and it is also an opportunity. You will have a chance in a second to come back. But thank you and allowing many to answer questions here. Senator, thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you to the nominees for being here. I want to come back to you and pick up on the line of questioning. I could not hear all of it but i think he was asking for some opportunities for reform. In light of the disruptions to the Postal Services experience in the last few years, for a variety of reasons, even before the ko vid pcovid pandemic. The service that is vital to my state, i think the goal has to be to see the Postal Service exist for another 250 years and continue to serve the people of this country and the people in our areas that are hard to reach and who really rely on the Postal Service to be on that lifeline. Can you tell us what your priorities will be and what the Postal Service could do to make sure it continues to meet its Service Obligations. First im not a postal expert, but i can tell you i work very hard and im intense in my drive to make sure i solve these problems and share your views on the uso. That bying said, it is easy to say the first mile and i would like to focus on the last mile. The postal worker day in and day out may be the only Government Employee in rural or urban america that any american ever sees. They pick up that mail and that package and they take that out. Were focusing on the last smile when we bring something to them, but i think we focus on what we do, how we do it, and we blast that, that Customer Service challenge that we have in front of us from how we do it in a financial responsible, economically viable way Going Forward. And i really believe it is solvable and i believe that it is important. We have a tendency to forget that we have the Postal Service to deliver the cares act checks, all i see is opportunity and the ability to involve the problems. When i have time to get in there and really look at it, i think the challenges will be met. Tell me about your view of the universal Service Obligation and its role in the usps mission. From what i have red, okay, the first thing is Congress Gave us a statutory requirement. But as far as my role on the board, i think it is delivering mail and packages to every address in the u. S. And in a timely fashion. Do you have a view on the new Mission Statement that was adopted on, i believe, april the 1st . Im not aware of that. Why dont you make yourself away and get back to me. How about that . I would be glad to do that. Thank you. Many communities again in my state of missouri many people rely on the usps for mail and package delivery. How can we ensure they will continue to receive mail at a affordable price. Give us your views on that. Im a neighbor, i can fully appreciate the fly over country aspect of this challenge. I think it goes back to what i kind of talks about a little earlier. People ask if i want lower cost or Better Service. And i say yes, thats what i want, lower cost and Better Service. I think the same mindset that that has to be translated into the usps. I think that theyre not mutu mutually exclusive as i said in my Opening Statement we served every zip code in the country regardless of distance or density. We found a way to get products to customers on time at a reasonable cost. It is not an easy problem to solve. Give me a sense of whether or not if youre confirmed that youre committed to usps and access for rural areas. Absolutely it is part of the mission sdplp you just mentioned some of the work you did at yrc. Give me a sense of your turn around experience and the lessons that you learned from that and in particular how did you maintain all of your services and your employees . That was a tough situation when i got there with my team. We were in really bad final shape for a number of reasons. I think the first part of the solution was following what was said about getting the right people on the bus. A Leadership Team with a common vision and a Common Mission and permeating that throughout the organization. I think one of the real advantages that we developed was that that vision was transparent and really obvious to everyone in the organization. Once we got them on board with the strategy and what we were trying to get done and began to show some results, then we reached a Tipping Point where we picked up momentum on their own and then i think youre in good position to keep the problem solved. It is a multifaceted problem that starts with getting everyone on the same page. What youre trying to get done and how youre trying to get done. Very good, thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you very much. For fear that our judicial nominees would feel overlooked, i will pepper you with questions for awhile. For all three of our candidates, i want to be able to walk through a series of questions here and i want your response on this beginning with mr. Shapiro. The Dc Superior Court is extremely busy. When there is a delay in actually getting to a case, there is all kinds of challenges and there is a bad habit of some to attorneys not coming well prepared. So their delayed as well. So i have twofold questions here. What is your perspective on catching up on the backlog and how will you handle that . And the second part is how do you hold attorneys and individuals accountable for being prepared so those that need justice can get an answer. I appreciate the backlog and the problem that the superior court spaces and it is one of the most significant challenges that exists there. I would certainly hope to come up to speed and be as e if i recollect ent as possible. I also think it is important to set expectations to go to your second question with litigants so they understand my courtroom rules and they understand what is expected of them in terms of appearances. I expect virtually the entirety of my career in the federal courts which has a smaller volume problem. It still paces challengfaces chi think they have an understanding of what is expected and that can go a long way in helping to control the issues of delay that you referenced. Yes, so i echo the statements i believe that the backlog that the Dc Superior Court is faces ing is one of th hardest challenges, and promoting efficiencies will be a challenge that i will space. For the attorneys that appear before the court, setting an expectation is one of the key factors, also making extensions a little more difficult in the sense of requires extensions to be filed in advance is one technique that a number of the judges use they found to be efficient and explaining the reasons why their seeking an extension to help ensure theyre prepared and that they dont seek extensions frivolously. Same question. Thank you mr. Chairman. I want to echo what my two colleagues have just said. The backlog will hit us in the face. And i will that im a bit of an expert on backlogs at this point. I also note that the District Court is in the process of selecting a new chief justicdge. So i hope to offer whatever skill sets i have to utilize as he or she sees as appropriate. With regard to Case Management and holding parties before the court. That are responsible for their case loads, i understand i think all litigation attorneys understand there are pressures with time and case loads. And i think that the easiest way to deal with it is up front. Attorneys and parties before the court need to be honest and early honest with the court so the lack of preparations dont surprise the judge at the last minute. You can usually wosrk with parties if there are scheduling issues. I didnt like to be surprised with my service on the board. The Legal Practice before the board entails quite a few litigants. And we hold them responsible to meeting their those folks so i dont think its unfair to hold attorneys responsible for meeting their deadline deadlines. You have some expertise in the law and some experience there. You also have some areas where you are not experienced. What are you going to do be it civil or criminal . Is that for me, senator . It is. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Im going to do what i do when i start any new job. Im going to work hard. You have an interesting career path. How do you know what it do on the first day of a new job . I thought that was interesting. My response was i never applied for or accepted a job where i was uncomfortable that i wouldnt be able to negotiate the learning curve quickly. Youre right, there are areas of the law where im not as experienced as aothers. I will just roll up my sleeves and get busy and learn. Mr. Ross, same question. What will you do to prepare yourself for areas where youre not as strong . So, like mr. Robins say, i will take the same steps and ensuring i become familiar with those areas of the law, when i maybe have a different rotation, family court or area of the law where i dont have familiarity. There will be a learning curve. Ive had all different type of litigation where there was a similar learning curve and use skills to get up to speed on those matters so that the court can operate efficiently. Ms. Shapiro . Ive had a good deal of civil experience and some criminal experience. Likewise i will need to learn the other areas and divisions of the court where i have not had experience. The Training Program at the superior court is reputed to be excellent and i expect it to be a firehose of information and i look forward to processing it and learning all that the superior court does. We will anticipate that for all of you to be able to step into that. All of us have some areas of strengths, some areas of weaknesses. I would assume on the bench, obviously, but the person in front of you expects you to be strong in the area theyre dealing with right now. I appreciate your commitment quite a few members are joining us at 10 00. Senator, would you like to ask another round of questioning . I think he stepped away. Let me ask one other question until he comes back in again. Obviously d. C. Has issues like every Community Around the country does. Short question, what do you consider one of the most critical areas that you can serve d. C. While youre on the bench, whether that be family law, criminal, civil . What is the issue . And be as specific as you can, obviously. As you know, d. C. Lives here and knows the dynamics that we face. What specific area do you look and say this is where i can help d. C. From the bench . Ill start with mrs. Shapiro. I think i can immediately jump into the civil and criminal dockets as those are the area where is i have the most expertise. Getting up to speed quickly and moving cases is a Great Service to the constituents of d. C. Reporter great. Mr. Ross . While there is a tremendous backlog because of the speedy trial provisions, a lot of the cases are shifted toward the criminal docket and the civil docket gets sometimes an even heavier backlog because a lot of the resources have to go to the criminal docket. While i am comfortable stepping in and helping out in any way that superior court can utilize me, i believe stepping into the civil docket and moving those cases along efficiently is the best way i can step in and help the residents of d. C. Mr. Robins . Mr. Chairman, like my colleagues, i have a background in civil litigation doing some probate law issues. I enjoyed family law, probate in law school and have read up on articles. That possibility actually excites me. To be honest, ill do anything that the chief justice tells me to do. Thank you. He or she will probably want that in writing from you. Senator, do you have additional questions to ask as well . I do. When i ran for governor i had been treasure r and a wonderful guy ran as my opponent. 25 joint appearances. Nobody ever asked one question about what kind of qualities would we look for in our judges, which in my state, Supreme Court and a variety, superior court, lot of courts, no one ever asked me that. Among the qualities i learned to look for are judges who know the law, were able to apply it. Judges able to make a decision, judges who treat folks who come before them with an open mind and judges who work hard. Would each of you take a minute, do any of those describe you . Yes, senator. So i believe my wife would say fairness is one of the qualities that describe me. To answer your question more directly, fairness, impartiality and patience are amongst the most important for any judge. Judges are human beings and they come in with their own beliefs and opinions and one of the most important things for them to do is to set their predispositions aside and to ensure that each person that comes before them are treated fairly and that theyre applying the law to the facts before them. Hold it right there. Hold it right there. Mr. Robins, very briefly, same question. Thank you, senator. I agree with my colleague that impartiality and fairness are probably the primary skill sets necessary to be a good judge on top of, obviously, knowing the law. I think my friends and family would consider me to be impartial, very patient and ive demonstrated through my service on the mspb an ability to put aside personal preferences, biases, philosophical views to be able to add jude kate cases on the merits. Thank you. Miss shapiro . Youre right in the middle of my screen. How could i miss you . Qualities that are important to being a good judge and qualities that i think i have. I would add to that list civility. I think thats an important quality just because we have had adversaries and an adversarial system does not mean that adversaries cannot be civil. And i think civility generally helps rather than hurts. I couldnt agree more. I explained is with a state treasure treasurer and i learned that one of the first things, i said what are those . [ inaudible ] in the senate. I remember when my last couple of years as governor had the same message. And he said yeah thats true. [ inaudible ] the Postal Service recognize that liability. Look at fortune 500 companies, fortune 1000 companies, be successful. Postal service thats one of the functions. Second issue is a question of products. [ inaudible ] magazine, newspapers [ inaudible ] i think the last one is to take this burden every mailbox [ inaudible ] consistent with what we do. Discuss what you could actually [ inaudible ] board of trustee. [ inaudible ] and the other thing [ inaudible ] thank you very much. Wonderful institution. Thank you. Thank you, senator carper. Senator hasson . Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you again to our nominees for your willingness to serve the American People. My first question is to mr. Moke and mr. Zellers. As i stated in my opening remarks, we find ourselves in a time of crisis due to the covid19 pandemic. The Postal Service has projected revenue losses up to 13 billion this year and 10 billion next year and there are concerns it may run out of funds by september if congress does not intervene. What, in each of your experiences, has prepared for you to take on this massive challenge and, if confirmed, what will you do as a member of the board of governors to address the financial problems addressing the u. S. Postal service . Senator, again, im not a postal expert, but i would like to give an example of where ive dealt with the issues like this in the past. If i was to pivot and tell you that its often hard to get people to act, to get groups to act collaboratively. And if you look at the challenges that are facing the Postal Service, as you just pointed out, i believe we need to do something sooner than later. And right now with the challenges that theyre facing, i think this is going to be the time that we can bring all the stakeholders together so that we can come up with a solution collaboratively and put the Postal Service on the proper footing. Not only for this fall but the future so that it cannot just be sustainable but it can actually thrive. I believe now is the time. And i take it you believe there are things in your past experience that will help you build that kind of consensus and action . Absolutely. Thank you. Mr. Zoellers . This is the bigger question, right . Im a big believer in solving a problem with a burning platform, we certainly have a burning platform in front of us with the usps. I wouldnt pretend to know all the answers to this, but i can say that some of the challenges look very similar to my past life. Challenges about declining revenue, increase in costs, disadvantage against the competitors, unfunded liabilities. It look like twothirds of the liability is coming from health care and the other third from pension. The other thing thats good news is that 80 so my answer is this is going to be a complicated problem to solve but i can break it down in component parts, a strategy that addresses all of the issues, including the service that we provide, the cost of those services, optimizing the network, making sure we have Effective Technology and putting it together in a plan that everybody can embrace. I think weve got a very good chance to solve it. I dont think we have time to waste. Well, thank you for that. I have one more question for mr. Moke and mr. Zollars and will ask you to be brief in your answers so i can ask one question of our judicial nominees. Even as it struggles financially and faces unprecedented challenges to covid19 that weve discussed, the Postal Service continues to deliver mail and packages across the u. S. The men and women of the postal workforce are risking their health to serve their fellow americans and we have to find ways to ensure that the Postal Service can continue to serve the American People while keeping its workforce safe. So, what role does the board play in protecting the postal workforce from this deadly virus and how will you confirm, prioritize Worker Health and safety . Mr. Zollars, why dont we start with you . I think this has to be a number one priority. The safety of the associates is always the the forefront. We really dont have a Postal Service without postal delivery front end of this. And so its got to be a top priority. Thank you. Mr. Moke . I think we have to prioritize the health and safety of our customers, the citizens. To protect them we also have to prioritize the health and safety, we have a duty to do that, to the United States Postal Service employees and by doing that, we achieve both of those. Weve had these challenges before in this country. Back during 9 11 and other times. And i think, if anything, were up to that and working with the board will be focused on safety. Thank you. I hope so. And we may follow up with some questions for the record on that issue. Let me move to our other nominees for a minute. To mr. Robbins, ross and miss shapiro, its vital that all americans are treated equally in our Justice System regardless of the color of their skin. If confirmed you have an Important Role in ensuring fairness in the d. C. Judicial system. What measures will you take to ensure all those who enter your courtroom are treated equally . Well start with mr. Robbins. Senator, i think any individual who is honored to sit on a bench as a judge owes the people that come into his or her court an ability to put aside any personal bias they may have, put aside their philosophy, religious and political views and treat individuals based solely on the circumstances that have brought them to the court and apply the law as it needs to be applied to address their circumstances. Im pleased that at least at an appellate level i was able to do that, add ju that, adjudicating 7,000 cases. I would not have enacted the legislation that turned into statue that i was applying but you learn to do that, you do it uniformly and fairly for everyone. Thank you. Mr. Ross . So i agree with mr. Robbins that it starts with the judge. And its your job as the judge to make sure youre putting aside your predispositions and personal bias and ensuring that each litigant that comes before you is treated equally and fairly, that their matters are heard on the merits and to set that same expectation for your entire court staff. Thank you. And miss shapiro . Senator, i completely agree with the premise of your question that treating all litigants fairly is an absolutely vital function of the court. I would intend to do that and i would also try to get as much representation for pro se and i indigent parties as much as possible. Thank you. Thats an important point, the last one. So, thank you very much, all of you again for your willingness to serve. And thank you, mr. Chair. Senator hassan. I want to recognize the Ranking Member of the full committee, senator pieters. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Appreciate that. My question to mr. Moak and mr. Zollars, first off, thank you for being here. Thank you for your willingness to serve. In 2012, the postal board of governors launched a tenyear plan of postal reforms that relied largely on cuts, including planned closures of processing facilities as well as post offices. There was also a reduction in Service Standards that affected how quickly people actually receive their mail as well as workforce reductions. Certainly congress stepped up and called many of these actions out and halted some of these plans, including a second wave of facility closures that would impact the ability for the Postal Service to provide the kind of service that people expect from the Postal Service. So my question is, as you work towards ensuring sustainability, which we have to be focused on for the Postal Service and their finances are sustainable, how would you devise an Operational Strategy that does not rely upon damaging cuts in order to get through the current financial situation . Senator, this is lee moak. So on your question, youre saying in 2012, tenyear plan. If you look back to 2012 when that plan was developed, it appears that shortly thereafter, the board of governors stopped to function as a quorum. You have a plan. You dont have all stake holders bought into. Thats over a decade. And you dont have a functioning board of governors that oversees the plan and congress executedity responsibility to step in and halt some of the things that were not perhaps properly coordinated. What i believe is it needs to be looked at in great detail with all stake holders. It needs to be a shorter, executable plan that is transparent, that has proper oversight and that theres a methodology to get from the beginning to the end that everyone agrees on. And thats the key to success. Right. Mr. Zollars . I think a little bit of this is redundant, but i think this is really a focus on Better Service at lower cost. And i think the mission requires us to be universal provider of service. So thats kind of where this all starts. As i said earlier, you can do both. Theyre not mutually exclusive. I think this has to be something that is divided up into actionable pieces so that we can actually move the entire challenge forward. And i think a tenyear plan, to be honest, in my mind is not really a plan. I think we need a strategy that has alignment of all the stake holders, including congress as well as rank and file of the usps and the board of governors. And once you get that alignment and everybody buys into that strategy, i think you sequence the execution in a way that allows you to make partners quickly and build on that progress to build momentum to get to the end of the goal, which is to be a Sustainable Service that provides service to everyone in the country. Thank you. This question is to both of you again. In your statements and discussions with the committee, you have recognized, and i appreciate that, that the postal workforce and the Postal Service is the key asset of the Postal Service, a vibrant, professional workforce. Postal workers are certainly the heart of the Postal Service. Theyre frontline workers that you see every day when you go in to the Postal Service. They deliver for you every day. They check in with you. They work, rain and shine, which theyre famous for. As you know, the more strategic and Financial Decisions certainly directly effect this workforce in a very tangible and very real way. My question to both of you is how will you ensure that the board takes into consideration the human impact of any cost benefit analysis and will you commit to seeking the views as part of your Strategic Planning . Let me start and lee can jump in here. I think this is really one of the fundamental keys to progress, is making sure that the people that are actually doing the work understand and buy into the strategy of the organization. To understand and embrace the strategy before you go to step two. I think thats the first step. Senator, this is lee. We do our best work when we have the usps postal workers working with management, telling the board, advising the board on the best way to do it. So, workers, labor, and management working collaboratively together is a key element of success. Changes to the pricing of Postal Service products impact affordability and accessibility of these products across the country. Particularly, i found it in rural areas. Postal Regulatory Commission has determined that packages are currently covering their cost and their fair share of overhead cost. One major concern about raising prices is the impact on accessibility. Many individuals and small businesses, particularly in rural areas across michigan simply cant afford price increases. And the Postal Service, as you all know, is vital to their business. My question to both of you is how would you work to ensure that Postal Service products maintain fair prices that do not limit consumer access and how would you ensure pricing decisions dont create disparities in excess to various communities based on pricing . I mentioned earlier in my former life we delivered to every zip code in the country and we did it in a way that was competitive. And i think one of the real interesting examples of how important the Postal Service is, is the fact that their competitors use the postal servi service. We need to make sure we deliver services at an acceptable price. Senator, the customer is very important. Market based pricing to ensure that the Service Becomes sustainable and profitable. So you dont limit access to Rural America or any americans to the point it then effects the elasticity of actually using the service. We need very good data. Thank you both for your answers and willingness to serv serve. Every single american, six days a week, week in, week out, 52 weeks a year. The past several months has taught us neither snow, rain nor Global Pandemic is going to stop the incredible men and women of the Postal Service from doing their jobs. Tens of millions of americans are out of work, countless others are staying at home because theyre sick or immunocompromised. The Postal Service and its employees have never been more important to us. Ppe to lap tops for those students who now have to learn at home. So our Current Public Health situation highlights a role that the Postal Service has had for decades in responding to crisis. Since the 1990s, postal plan has outlined delivering antibiotics to residents during a catastrophic event. Because weve become keenly aware during the pandemic that its uniquely Expansive Network gives us the ability on a daily basis to touch everyone. It cant be replace d or represent applicated. How do you think the Postal Service can innovate and aid the nation when other institutes or entities are unable to function normally, like they are now . Yes, captain moak, i see you. Well have you go first there. Thank you, senator. If confirmed i intend to looking in great detail on the very matters youre talking about. But my experience says what weve been dealing with recently and over the last decade, especially after 9 11, really emphasizes how important the Postal Service is to the nation. So i agree with all of that. I think the challenge is how we continue to improve on that very Vital Service you talk about and at the same time make it an economically viable enterprise Going Forward. And i believe that that can be done. We just need focus and we need input from all stake holders and have to agree on how to do that Going Forward. Senator being this is bill zollars. Provide since the very beginning a Vital Service to the popping. At the end of the day, this is a huge Logistics Network, could probably add a little bit to the solution. I think its going to be a difficult challenge but i think its a solvable problem. I appreciate that. Domestic disaster planning mission, whether they be from Infectious Disease or other things. We need to push for that. In that light, how do you think us, as legislators, can put the Postal Service in better position to respond, whether its financially or with regulation or legislation to help them do what they need to do, to support the American People in a time of any crisis, whether its a flood, hurricane, pandemic or another . This is lee moak. I look forward to working with the board of governor, the other governors as we go to fill out this board to a fully staffed and functioning board, listening to usps management, the new postmaster general and all other stakeholders involved so that we can come back and answer these very critical questions that the congress is asking. Its going to take everyone working together to, first, understand exactly where were at and then decide where we want to go. And then we have to focus on the leadership it takes to get there and then execute on that so that we cannot only make it vital but improve on the usps, as you stated. Thank you. Captain . This is bill. And i would say the first step is to have an open mind and i would be very interested in the ideas coming from congress on that specific example that you gave. I think it is a critical part of the response that we need to have ready, needs to be part of the straltgy. I will be very interested speaking with congress. Especially in the event of natural disasters that may be localized, wildfires in nevada, hurricanes, tornadoes or floods in other places, how do we help how does the post office help us get through that as well for critical things like medication and checks and all of that . So i appreciate your willingness to serve. Thank you for being with us today. Thank you, senator rosen. Senator sinema is recognized. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I look forward to our discussion. My question today will focus on our two nominees for u. S. Postal service of governors and i will have questions for our judicial nominees that ill submit later for the record. A critical lifeline. The u. S. Postal service is a critical lifeline for communities across arizona and the entire nation. During this pandemic, we need a strong Postal Service to help families stay connected, deliver prescription drugs to those in need and support arizona businesses. The Postal Service also plays an important part in critical initiatives such as the u. S. Census and voting. Its critical that the congress and the board of governors Work Together to ensure a successful future for the Postal Service. In 2011, the Postal Service completed several area Mail Processing studies and determined a number of Processing Plants, including the cherry bell plant in tucson, arizona, should be consolidated or closed to cut costs. Usps was unable to carry out these consolidations and the plants remain open today. The posta service has never formally removed the plant frts consolidation list. If the Postal Service board determined further Processing Plant consolidations are needed would you support moving forward with consolidations based on those 2012 mail studies or would you want to see updated data before the board makes a decision and why . Senator, a study down in 2011 obviously needs to be updated to today, and i look forward to participating in that study and looking at that data. I will say if its determined that you need to consolidate or close processing centers, probably it might be a consideration to look at a process much like was used in the 90s when they were looking at military base consolidation or closures. But the 2011 study shouldnt be executed on today. It should definitely be updated and again all stakeholders and a Strategic Plan develop before we move forward. Thank you. Senator, this is bill zollars. Its got to be looked at from the context of not jeopardizing the service to the individuals of the country. In some parts of arizona, we have outofdate postal infrastructure partly due to our high levels of growth. Many towns need improvements in how the mail is delivered such as moving way from or greatly improving p. O. Box delivery and other offices need to increase staff so they can support customers. As a board member how would you navigate a situation where there is a dueling need to control costs due to falling mail volume nationwide while investing in Service Improvement soes the Postal Service can meet its mandate to provide service to every american . This is really at the crux of the problem. People would come to me and say do we want lower cost or Better Service and my answer was always both. The Technology Tools we have, our ability to leverage particularly the last mile in a way thats connected to the Postal Service and so i dont think on this one theres any easy answer. Senator, i believe we should always be able to improve service, never setback and that you have analing infrastructure, you have to balance the Capital Expenditures Going Forward that will improve that service, but also make it cost effective. You cant do one without the other and you need a oneyear plan, threeyear plan, fiveyear plan and the ability to execute on it. Thank you. It will always cost more to deliver in rural areas. Packages and mail has to be carried over further distance with higher gas cost. And the Postal Service is a lifebehind for Rural Communities and businesses. What ideas would you bring to the board to show youre willing to protect the Postal Service . I can start. Again, this is bill. I was just coming out of an organization where we had exactly that problem where we had to deliver to customers regardless of distance or density. We found a way to do that effectively and competitively. It goes back to the structure of the Logistics Network and how you execute this mission. To improve or Keep Services the same for Rural America. Its something that i really focus on making sure we dont. Thank you so much. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Wait. Hold on. I think we wanted a second response from mr. Moak. I apologize. I think you focused on improved service and this is a fundamental part of the mission of the usps for Rural America and i look forward to tackling challenges if confirmed. Thank you and i apologize for my oversight. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Mr. Moak and mr. Zollars, were heading down the homestretch. Let me give you some lightning round questions for you. Something easy. Carrying in contra band, fent nal, other things managing what is inside a package for International Mail is a unique challenge. What would you be able to do to know whats inside a package when its coming into the United States . Unfortunately, senator, i have experience in this scenario as well. Our network at yrc was very attractive to people who wanted to do bad things through our network because its a high velocity and we went everywhere. To make sure there was a transparent conversation going on in a realtime way between those organizations. More closely with law enforcement. Its unacceptable fent nal and other drugs coming into this country. Sxwlie would agree. There are technology solutions. We need to be more aggressive in how were actually managing mail before it enters in the United States. But it will be an ongoing issue. It is solvable but its still an issue at this point to try to get it resolved with the right technology, implemented as quickly as possible. Theres a 10 billion loan from treasury and reserve to usps it looks like, actually, usps will do financially better this spring than they did last spring. Thats helpful for usps, attributable to the great employees and folks that work all over the country after the Postal Service, were very grateful for what they had done. They worked this process and how many people have been at home, asking for packages to be delivered. But it goes back to asking the question again, doing estimates, engaging, hitting the right numbers and getting rapid numbers to congress. Mr. Moak, let me begin with you. How will you handle estimates, requests to congress for additional appropriations or additional requests, be able to manage predicting finances, knowing pandemics are impossible to predict on the nature of it. My experience with Airline Bankruptcies and black swan events, whether its pandemic, h1n1 or terrorist event led me to understand one thing about forecasting thats 100 true every time. And thats that the forecast is wrong. Its a little more, its a little less. In usps, we need good data in a timely fashion so that the congress, board of governors and mansion can make timely decisions and adjust quickly when need be. Mr. Zollars . I would add to what lee said. We need to come to you with a comprehensive plan and that we have your support as we go forward with that plan. Its really important to ensure were all in alignment of what needs to be done and when. I completely agree. Well have unique challenges. Its a trust building experience as well to make sure we get as good of an estimate as possible and update those numbers as rapidly as possible so were all able to keep a good flow of information going back and forth. 2018, the Trump Administration had a task force on usps and talked about the unsustainable path thats there. They recommended legislative recommendations. Im not asking you to go through all 25. I assume you had an opportunity to review those. Do any of those stand out to you in particular, saying this will require more of a look that you would say you either strongly disagree or agree or this is one that comes to mind quickly of the 25 recommendations of that task force from 2018 . Mr. Moak . What stands out to me in the report is interweaved throughout the report is that congress has to make some decisions and need to work with not only the board of governors, usps management to define not only more specificity, but also what they want usps to be Going Forward. All through the task force report. Mr. Zollars . Its worth repeating. I think theres an opportunity here to leverage the last mile or first mile whichever end of the package youre looking at, in a way that we havent fully embraced at this point. Its clearly a sustainable advantage for the Postal Service and one that i really am interested in looking at more closely to see if we cant leverage it more quickly. That would be helpful. One last question. Its more of a philosophical question. We have a board of governors and others. Theres a lot of dialogue and dreaming and visioning that happens in all of those. What lane would you say brc has this lane, we want to make sure we dominate in lane of information and instance, usps . Mr. Zollars, you can go first on that. I think its important for the board of governors to drive the discussionings on this. I think its up to us to lead that discussion to bring whatever we think is most effective to congress and the prc and try to get alignment among all the stake holders. I think the board of governors is responsible for developing. Mr. Moak . Board of governors has a Strategic Task to come up with the plan while working with all the stake holders and needs to do it in a transparent fashion so it should be happen to have the Inspector General come in and look at what the board of directors is doing. Board of governors should be working with ig, congress, all stake holders, usps management and usps employees to make sure we have the best Customer Service at a sustainable, thriving republic. The American People are counting on all of those. The uniqueness, the responsibility. Thats why this commit has worked so hard to get a quorum, keep a quorum because we need a functioning board of governors to be not to just be there and look at who has the ball but for them to understand they have the ball. There is an expectation that now that they have a quorum, they can move on the issues that need to be done to help make this sustainable and make those recommendations that were made to the legislative branch. I do agree with the president s task force, congress has a responsibility that theyve not taken up and needs to be addressed in the days ahead. Let me pause for a final moment. Any other final questions from other senators . Im going to take that as a no. Thank you very much to all of our nominees. This has not been an easy process. From the beginning, many of you have been in the process many months and years to be able to get to this spot so that we understand so you know we understand. We want to say thank you to you for going through this arduous process. Thats not done. The Committee Takes a vote and the full senate will take a vote for full confirmation but today was a major milestone in that process. Thank you again for going through all of this. The nominees have made financial disclosures. All of those have been submitted to the committee. Without objection, this information will be made part of the hearing record with the exception of the Financial Data on file and available for public inspection in the committee offices. The hearing record will remain open until noon tomorrow, june 4th, for a submission of statements and questions for the record. Thank you again to all of you. With that, the hearing is adjourned. Thank you, senator. Thank you, all. Good luck. The Senate Commerce committee holds a hearing on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on transportation and critical fr critical infrastructure. Watch today on cspan3, online cspan. Org or listen free on the cspan radio app. Tonight, beginning at 8 00 eastern on American History tv, a look at the great depression, founded in 1933 during the depression, the Tennessee Valley authoritys mission was to address environmental, energy and Economic Development issues in a region suffering from soil erosion, floods, poverty and unemployment. A National Program in the Tennessee Valley is a 1936 film created by the tva to promote their efforts and show the construction of two projects, norris dam in tennessee and wheeler dam in alabama. Both are still operational. On the National Register of historic places. Watch American History tv tonight and over the weekend on cspan3. Up next, laura olson, a political reporter for the morning call newspaper in allentown, pennsylvania. She talks about the state of the 2020 president ial race in the keystone state where President Trump won by less than. 5 in 2016. She discusses how pennsylvanias Political Climate has changed since the 2016 election and what issues are driving voter decisions at the polls, including the economy and the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic. This is about ten minutes. Joining us via zoom
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