Tom Carper

The discussion we have here today will jump-start the process of developing a bipartisan, bicameral consensus around the reforms necessary to restructure the Postal Service's finances.

We may be just a few weeks away from the first-ever default of the Postal Service.

We actually lease more space than we own.

My sense in listening to your testimony and earlier hearings that we have had is that we also need a comprehensive approach with respect to real property management.

We appreciate your testimony.

I think CPRA is a promising start in that direction that will hopefully lead to some efficiencies and some cost savings for the taxpayers.

What criteria does GSA use to determine whether an agency should have delegated authority?

Executive Order (EO) No. 1, fix it.

We want to be a good neighbor.

We want to be fair, but we also want--it is tough love. It is like a tough love situation. I think we need to be tough. We need to provide the example.

Well, that is very encouraging.

We face a situation with the Postal Service literally running out of money, running out of cash later this year.

But if you see the two of us, you know we are serious about saving some money and we are for our country.

There needs to be some reform in terms of real property.

What would be the consequences if the SEC were required to go through GSA for all future lease acquisitions?

Our primary priority is how will that impact that decision to affect veterans and veteran families, first.

One of the things that really frosts citizens of this country, taxpayers, and those of us who are privileged to represent them, is when we have bad behavior, grossly bad behavior, on the part of Federal employees or others who are using…

The symptom is the debt crisis, debt ceiling crisis... the cause... is the fact that we do not spend money wisely.

This is not the sexiest topic to be holding a hearing on.

What I focus on around here is how do we build, how do we develop consensus?

Was the Constitution Center lease an anomaly or does the SEC lack the necessary expertise and internal controls to ensure they are getting the best possible term when it leases space?

On the one hand, agencies can purchase space. On the other hand, they can get this designation, independent designation that some have and then they can lease or they can go through GSA and lease.

I would hope at the end of the day appropriate disciplinary action--I think I speak for both of us--that appropriate disciplinary action be taken.

What do we need to do? What needs to be done so that CBO in the future will not say almost routinely that even when it makes economic sense to purchase, we are not going to score it that way?

I would ask you, Mr. Wise, I am going to ask you to walk us through why we have this incentive, I think a misincentive, disincentive?