Statement of Ivan D. Butts, March 5, 2026

Statement of Ivan D. Butts, President, National Association of Postal Supervisors
Before the Congressional Postal Service Caucus Roundtable
March 5, 2026

Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts with this congressional panel. I speak on behalf of the approximately 47,000 postal supervisors, managers, and postmasters represented by the National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS).

NAPS will promote several supervisory- and managerial-specific bills during our upcoming legislative conference in less than two weeks. These include H.R. 7600, which would provide fairness and timeliness to pay consultations for supervisory and managerial postal employees, and H.R. 1559, which would establish due process rights for non-supervisory Executive and Administrative Schedule (EAS) postal employees we represent. Both measures have been on NAPS’ legislative agenda for years, are sponsored by Rep. Walkinshaw and are supported by members of this caucus.

Today, I would like to focus on the future viability and reliability of the Postal Service and how this caucus can play a constructive role. NAPS strongly supports efforts to fairly recalculate the Postal Service’s Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) obligation to reflect that pre-1971 postal employees should be a federal responsibility, not a Postal Service liability. In addition, NAPS supports legislation that would allow Postal Service Trust Fund investments beyond low-yield Treasury securities. Together, these changes would save the Postal Service billions of dollars.

This caucus has appropriately focused on the shortcomings of the so-called Delivering for America (DFA) initiative and its impact on service to your constituents. As you know, delivery speed and on-time performance continue to lag behind pre-DFA levels. Annual Gallup and Pew surveys conducted before and after DFA’s implementation reflect growing public dissatisfaction with the Postal Service. Yet, despite this decline in public confidence, the Postal Service remains one of the most highly regarded federal agencies.

In September 2022, I testified before the House Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Postal Service. At that time, I raised concerns about the DFA that have since proven prophetic and credible. NAPS warned of the harmful impact DFA could have on mail service—particularly in rural communities—as well as the hidden costs associated with the plan. We also expressed concern about a lack of transparency and resistance to constructive criticism. Over time, the Postal Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office, and the Postal Regulatory Commission have validated many of these concerns. It appears that the USPS itself may have reached the same conclusion as DFA critics.

Yesterday, the PMG disclosed that the agency has retained management consulting firm Alavarez and Marsal to advise it on postal restructuring. The PMG was reported to have said that all options are on the table, including potential service and staffing cuts. I would just point out that a similar exercise was undertaken over 16 years ago when USPS retained three consulting firms, McKinsey & Company, the Boston Consulting Group and Accenture. In part, the implemented recommendations slowed mail and did not achieve projected savings.

Another negative byproduct of DFA is the December regulatory change regarding when a postmark is applied to mail. Among its potential consequences is the risk of delayed absentee ballot acceptance by election authorities. NAPS believes that prompt enactment of H.R. 7265, the Vote by Mail Tracking Act, introduced by caucus member Kweisi Mfume, would help maintain public confidence in the Postal Service’s historic role in handling election mail.

Another issue of concern to NAPS is strengthening mail security and protecting postal employees and assets – on and off postal property. For this reason, we applaud caucus member Andrew Garbarino for his legislation, H.R. 2095, the Postal Police Reform Act. The measure restores postal police authority, both on and off postal real estate, an authority revoked by the USPS 6 years ago.

Looking ahead, Congress must fulfill its constitutional responsibility to ensure the Postal Service provides the American public with speedy, reliable, and affordable mail service—and provide the resources necessary to do so. If Congress is unwilling to act directly, it should empower the Postal Regulatory Commission with enhanced regulatory authority to achieve this goal. Congress may also need to revisit the level of the existing Postal Service public service appropriation and require either the Postal Service or the PRC to request appropriations sufficient to meet universal service obligations.

As this caucus and the relevant committees of jurisdiction move forward, NAPS stands ready to assist members of Congress in this effort.