Person. You will only see members and witnesses appearing remotely on the monitor in front of you. When they are speaking in what is known in webex as active speaker view. A timer is visible in the room directly in front of. For members appearing remotely i know youre familiar with webex by now let me remind you of a few points. First, you will be able to see each person speaking during the hearing, whether they are in person or remote. If you have your webex set to active speaker view. If you have any questions can about this pleas, Contact Committee staff. Secondly, we have a timer that should be visible on the screen when you are in active speaker with thumbnail view. Members who wish to pin the timetory their screens Contact Committee staff for assistance. Third, im not even sure what that means, but i said it. Third, the house rules require that we see you so please always have your cameras turned on if you want to be an active participant in this hearing. Fourth, members are appearing remotely who are not recognized should remain muted so we minimize background noise and feedback. Fifth, ill recognize members verbally. Members can retain the right to seek recognition verbally in regular order. Members will be recognized in order of is enority seniority for questions. Lastly, if you want to be recognized out of regular order, you may identify that inself ways, use the chat function, preferably, to send a request. You may send an email to the majority staff, or you may unmute your mike to seek recognition with me. Obviously we dont want people talking over each other, my preference is use the chat function or email to facilitate formal verbal recognition. Committee staff will make me aware of the request and ill recognize you. Well begin the hearing in just a moment when they tell me we are ready to again started. Committee will be in order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a re70s committee at any time. The chair would also ask without objection that miss deb bye Wasserman Schultz debi Wasserman Schultz, ms. Scanlon, who else . Mr. Cooper. Sorry i got it right here. Yes, mr. Cooper, mrs. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and miss representative mary gay scanlon be waived on to the committee for their participation in todays hearings. Without objection, so ordered. I want to welcome everyone to our hearing on recent developments regarding the Postal Service. I now recognize myself for an Opening Statement. Then i will recognize the Ranking Member, for his Opening Statement. Is hice, i have agreed the chairwoman on . Does the chairwoman wish to have an Opening Statement . Because ill recognize her with your permission, mr. Hice, after myself. Our colleague, mrs. Lawrence, given her long involvement in this issue, is also going to issue have an Opening Statement. Ill recognize, and if somebody on your side wants to have additional that would be fine. Let me know. The Postal Service is the crown jewel of our federal government. It serves every household and business every day. It employs 630,000 brave individuals who live in every single congressional district. According to pew research, 91 of americans have a favorable view of the Postal Service. Leaps and bounds above that of any other federal entity. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Postal Services value to this nation is greater than ever. The Postal Service is a formal component of our Nations National response framework, serving as a linchpin of our nations response to the pandemic. A june 2020 harris poll found that the Postal Service ranked as the single most essential company to americans during the pandemic. Because its a constant in our lives. It outranks companies that manufacture p. P. E. And sanitizers in that respect. Starreding now and going through november, the Postal Service will also play a critical unprecedented in the sense of expanded role in our democracy. Protecting the health of voters who cast their ballots by mail. We know postal workers can handle the volume of that election mail. The question is whether those at the helm are taking steps to hinder that capacity and slow it down in ways that hurt the prospects of a Fair Election but benefit one candidates reelection campaign. Its essential that Postal Service leadership demonstrate nonpartisanship and not cronyism or favoritism. Leaving the Postal Service serving everyone in our country, particularly during this pandemic, is a responsibility to bestow upon only the most qualified and honorable of leaders. Its a job for those who are ready and willing to listen to the millions of stakeholders, mail recipients, voters, unions, veterans, older americans, congress, and so many others to connect the United States as Benjamin Franklin foresaw. And serve as the thread that unites our societys many fabrics. Unfortunately, thats not what is happening. Instead, we have a board of governors who insert add political ally of the president into the search process at the 11th hour. Circumventing proper vetting and background checks. We have a crony at the helm of our nations Postal Service, a man ripe with conflicts of interest and potential violations of law even. We have a postmaster general who would benefit financially if the Postal Service contracts out its services and sprints toward prifings prifings. He would benefit financially if ballots are undelivered or delayed. That would be unacceptable under any circumstance. Its a catastrophic during a Global Pandemic. On the precipice of one of the most consequential National Elections in our lifetimes. This hearing seeks to provide the public with an update on what we know about the background and qualifications of the postmaster general selected by the board of governors. In fact, one might say this is the homework that board of governors should have done but failed to do. Using publicly available resources will piece together the troubling past of mr. Dejoy. Well example his actions related to Campaign Donations while he was at the helm of new breed logistics. Well explore his continued investments in companies that benefit from contracts with the Postal Service. Companies that would also benefit if the usps pursued the president s plan for privatization. We will discuss why these actions and those connections matter. And why they should have rendered him, in my view, ineligible for consideration for this position. Mr. Dejoys first day of work was june 15. Today marks the start of his 13th week of federal service. Yet, his record is characterized by tumultuous, controversial, plummeting service, betrayal of customers in dire need of lifesaving medicines and supplies. But the trucks are on time albeit with the mail often left behind. So there is that. We learned at our last hearing that mr. Dejoy has known for weeks that his socalled operational changes that just so happen to coincide with the election starting slowed down the mail by 10 . Thats according to their own inside sources as the chair woman of this committee made public at the last hearing. For two weeks he withheld from congress and the public the data and analysis that demonstrated how his leadership undermined the actual mission of the Postal Service to deliver the mail. Days later, details of mr. Dejoys personal lack of ethics have come to light. He reportedly forged his own brothers signature to take greater control of his familys company. Mr. Dejoy reportedly and potentially illegally used the Family Company as a personal Political Action committee. Coercing his staff, reportedly, to donate to preferred rubble candidates and then reimbursing those employees with bonuses and salary. If true, dejoys actions should have been of great concern to the board of governors and could be prosecuted for criminal activity. We are not done. Over the weekend the postmaster general sent every home in america a mailer instructing all who seek to vote by mail to request a mailin ballot, sending misinformation and confusing voters in nine states that automatically send out such ballots. This debacle could have been avoided if mr. Dejoy simply accepted the offers of state Election Officials to proofread that message before he sent it out. And today we see reports emerging that where mr. Dejoy was the c. E. O. Of new breed logistics and contracting with the Postal Service, his company may have received as much as 53 million in overpayments for services rendered. The dossier released today by ms. Lisa graves, one of our witnesses, shows that mr. Dejoy continues to hold investments, assets, or other interest in entities that been fit when the Postal Service contracts out its operations. Moreover, mr. Dejoy improperly mixes his personal and financial friendships with his nonpartisan position ostensibly at p. M. G. What should scare every american who believes that the Postal Service should not be the arm of any campaign is that mr. Dejoy in his official capacity continues to conceal his secret coordination with trump and associates about which he has already provided misleading information and testimony before the congress. The chairwoman and i have repeatedly asked the postmaster general antiboard of governors for information that would justify the sweeping operational changes, clarify what mr. Dejoys investments are, ensure transparency of operations, and restore trust in the Postal Service. They have not given the committee the documents we have requested. And require. On september 2, chairwoman maloney issued a subpoena compelling mr. Dejoy to produce a wide range of documents, including those previously requested and a list of contacts , all contacts with Trump Campaign affiliates and individuals. Today is the deadline for the board of governors to provide the committee documents and information to shed light on the way mr. Dejoy was selected for this position. While the board of governors might be, quote, tickled pink, unquote, with mr. Dejoys performance, the American People are not. Perhaps they need to be reminded that their job is to serve the country not any particular president. I look forward to hearing from our expert Witnesses Today and continuing this critical discussion and the committees ongoing investigation. With that, i recognize my friend, the distinguished Ranking Member for his opening remarks. Mr. Hice thank you, mr. Chairman. The mere notion that this hearing is a postal update is utter nonsense. By the chairmans own admission, just moments ago, the issues that will be discussed in the hearing today shows this hearing for what it is, an absolute farce. In fact, not a single one of the witnesses who are here were sess we are supposed to be having a postal update. Not a single one of the witnesses even worked for the usps. Currently. The fact is in relation to the Postal Service update, because of better than expected revenue during this pandemic, because of packages, the Postal Service has reported it has enough money to be totally solvent through at least august of next year, 11 months from now. 11 months. There is no immediate need for a 25 billion bailout. However, as g. A. O. Reported in may and as we have all known now current es, the usps Business Model is not financially sustainable because of such things as declining mail volumes, increased compensation costs, and rising unfunded liabilities. 25 billion bailout money cannot fix these type of problems. All it does is push the problems down the road a little bit further for us to have to deal with it later. We have 11 months as of right now, 11 months to come together to work in a bipartisan fashion to bring real reforms to the Postal Service just like, mr. Chairman, did you with my predecessor, mark meadows. But instead of having a serious discussion about proposals for a postal reform bill, we are using this valuable time to devil into conspiracy theyre delve into conspiracy theories about the koch family and mr. Dejoys financial interests. Assembling a group of people like we are doing here today regardless of their experience to speculate with no more facts or information than what is printed in the Washington Post is absolutely a waste of time. This is n. My opinion, as close to a Kangaroo Court as anything i have seen. Given the reckless apathy towards facts and truth as the democrats have exhibited throughout this entire affair, its clear that this socalled hearing is nothing more than a further attempt at political assassination. What we do know at this point is that the usps Ethics Office cleared mr. Dejoy to retain certain assets. And to the best of anyones knowledge here, he has complied with the conditions around that ruling. For his part, postmaster general has confirmed at our full Committee Hearing that the o. I. G. Is currently conducting an investigation, and he said he welcomed the results of that report. Furthermore, the president himself has said that he is opened to a Campaign Finance investigation of the postmaster general and said if he did something wrong, if it can be proven if there is evidence of wrongdoing, then he should lose his job. And despite all of the cooperation between those two, the democrats try to paint them as partners. It sounds like at least the two of them, the postmaster and the current administration, are willing to at least collect the facts and evidence before rushing to judgment. Something certainly that this committee so far has not done. Just for example, when the entire house was forced to vote on a postal bailout bill before we even had a hearing, before we even had the opportunity to question the postmaster general and analyze data on what was causing the reported slowdowns. Or when the democrats claim that the removal of collection boxes and sending letters to states about their election deadlines was somehow an assault on the Postal Service and democracy without even admitting the fact that these are the same actions that postmaster generals in the past have done. Same actions that they have taken time and again. Today we are having a hearing two days before the Postal Service is due to start producing documents from the democrat subpoena. Which asks for documents regarding the postmaster generals divestments, recusals, and communication was the Ethics Office. Let me just add this. In the documents that have already been received from the Postal Service, there is evidence of the democrats disingenuous narrative about the usps. The documents show in black and white evidence countering two of the democrats favorite topics on this issue, the postal boxes and mail sorting machines. Interestingly more of these were removed just prior to the 2016 election than have been removed this year. Yet strangely i dont recall any talk about it then. So as a result the hearing today will not be based on fact, it will be based on conjecture and supposition in the hopes of one day that we will resume genuine postal reform. Ive invited mr. Mike plunkett, the association for postal commerce, or postcom a. National association of businesses and organization that is rely on the use of mail for communications and commerce. I certainly look forward to hearing from him as well as our other witnesses who are here with us today. And hopefully well be able to move forward with genuine efforts for postal reform rather than these type of hearings that are nothing more than a Kangaroo Court to score political points. With that i yield back. Chair connolly i thank the gentleman. I would simply note for the record what was characterized as character assassination was actually an indepth investigation done by the Washington Post. An independent Media Outlets confirm the filedings of the Washington Post investigation that members of new breed staff where mr. Dejoy was the c. E. O. Were pressured to make straw donations, to make donations which could be construed and straw donations. Mr. Hice i appreciate that. But this hearing is about post update not about potential investigations or the kangaroocourt type investigation we are having here today. Chair connolly we appreciate the gentlemans point. But leadership of the Postal Service is directly related to issues about performance of the Postal Service. Thats what leadership is about. Before i call on mrs. Lawrence and then mr. Keller, for Opening Statements, i recognize the chairwoman of the full committee for an