As Senator Collins noted, in July 2009 GAO added the Postal Service's financial condition to our high-risk list again and reported that action is urgently needed in multiple areas so that the Postal Service can achieve financial viability.

I encourage the Postmaster General to negotiate with our unions about cross-craft training.

Obviously, our first priority is to make sure that all products, including toys for children, are safe.

Everything we've seen suggests that they're going to have difficulty, now or in the future, with some of these payments.

Whatever plan we adopt, we have to make sure that it truly positions the Postal Service for the future.

I think that's a really--

The Postal Service, as the chairman has pointed out, is one of our oldest institutions. It is the lynchpin of a $900 billion mailing industry that employs close to 9 million people.

I think that needs to be addressed, and I would encourage you to do that.

This is such a complex and important issue. We clearly need more transparency.

That's correct----

Well, I can tell you, you're encouraging them to move faster.

In 2008, we acted to strengthen the laws governing the safety of goods entering this country and to provide much-needed additional resources to intercept unsafe products by passing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

The GAO says that 80 percent of the Postal Service's costs are employee related.

I believe for Federal employees it's about one-third of the premium.

If the President is serious about promising fiscal restraint, he has to quit treating taxpayer dollars like Monopoly money.

It is a mistake for the administration to ignore the housing needs in our rural communities.

Is the administration considering the advantages of a Housing First approach to help address the growing number of homeless people?

I know that in the Department of Justice instance that you have to review this transaction based on substantially lessening competition.