Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Eschews Oversight, Rips into PRC

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified at an oversight subcommittee hearing on Wednesday (May 17, 2023) about his Delivering for America plan, and when questioned by one lawmaker, laid into the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), which is an independent Federal agency that provides transparency and accountability of the U. S. Postal Service’s operations.

Steve Hutkins of SaveThePostOffice.com wrote about the remarkable exchange in detail, including a link to a YouTube video going right to the conversation.

When Representative Lee asked DeJoy why he objected to the PRC seeking more transparency about the Delivering for America plan and to learn more about its impact on the postal community, DeJoy said the Postal Regulatory Commission had overstepped its authority.

He also said the PRC had actively participated in the destruction of the USPS over the last fifteen years.

And in explaining that he was committed to getting the plan back on track, DeJoy stated, “and that’s why interference from the Postal Regulatory Commission is not helpful.”

Professor Hutkins said based on DeJoy’s testimony, he believes if the PRC goes forward with its public inquiry on the Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service will take it to court rather than cooperate.

Not all of the Postmaster General’s comments were inflammatory. One representative from Vermont asked about the impact of the plan on delivery in rural parts of America. Another representative from South Carolina asked why the Postal Service has ignored his concerns over accessibility issues at a Post Office in his district.

That said, we watched only portions of the hearing; the House Oversight committee provided a transcript of the Postmaster General’s prepared remarks the day before (Tuesday), which is available on the House.gov website (hat tip to the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers), and CSPAN made available the video on its website, complete with questions from lawmakers and responses from DeJoy.

Government Executive covered the hearing in this article.

Meanwhile, lobbying group Keep US Posted submitted its analysis to the Congressional committee in advance of the hearing that challenged the U.S. Postal Service’s plans to continue increasing postage rates twice per year.

Note: See more about the PRC public inquiry into the USPS Delivering for America plan in this SaveThePostOffice.com post.