It is my hope that with this hearing we will soon get down to the hard work of actually addressing those challenges and clearing the way to enable the Postal Service to emerge from the toughest time that it has faced since it was created…

Both the Obama administration and a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives that has cosponsored House Resolution 173 oppose eliminating Saturday delivery.

We appreciate the fact that is there and it is going to continue. We need that.

We approve of your legislation and that of Senator Collins to use the customer overpayment for postal pensions to fund retiree health benefits.

The POST Act would ensure that, on this issue, the Postal Service, working with its regulator and its customers, will make the critical decisions on Saturday delivery without political interference.

The ideal outcome, in my view, would be more not less access to postal retail outlets.

the theme that pervades, permeates their proposal is actually a sharing of sacrifice that is being asked.

The bill that I have introduced and described earlier removes the legislative restrictions that prevent the Postal Service from exercising its authority to reduce delivery frequency.

I would urge you to do that.

the bill that I have introduced would give the Postal Service more freedom to close post offices, including post offices that are operating at a deficit.

Excuse me. You said by the end of the year.