U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) are addressing the United States Postal Service’s historically poor performance, including mail delivery delays, by introducing legislation targeting the chief executive officer’s personal income.
Entitled the Postal Executive Responsibility, Fiscal Oversight, and Results-based Management (PERFORM) Act, the bill would specifically ban the postmaster general from receiving a performance-based bonus if, during the fiscal year, the USPS “reports a net loss, fails to meet nationwide service performance targets, receives an adverse audit finding, or fails to submit a required report to Congress.”
“In just about any profession, you don’t get rewarded for failing—except at the United States Postal Service. It’s time that changed,” said Britt. “This is not complicated: if the Postal Service does not meet basic performance metrics, the Postmaster General’s compensation should reflect that. No reasonable company in the world gives its CEO a bonus after failing to meet multiple performance metrics, and the Postmaster General—who serves the American people—should be no different.”
“Millions of Americans rely on the U.S. Postal Service to receive bills, send invoices, and hear from their friends and family,” Tuberville said. “In the private sector, if an organization is losing money every year, it would go under. The last thing we need to be doing is handing out bonuses to reward poor management.”
He added, “I’m glad to join Senator Britt to introduce this bill to provide accountability and incentivize better results out of the USPS.”
The legislation also requires an annual report to Congress detailing executive bonuses, performance metrics, USPS financial performance, and national and district-level service performance.
The report must be submitted within 30 days after the end of each fiscal year. To ensure compliance, the bill directs the USPS Office of Inspector General to conduct an annual review of the agency.
The PERFORM Act has also been introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) and is cosponsored by the entire Alabama congressional delegation.
“Alabamians deserve a Postal Service that delivers their mail on time and a Postmaster General who is accountable for results,” stated Strong. “With Alabama’s entire congressional delegation united behind this effort, we’re sending a clear message: it’s time for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver.”
Strong added, “The American people don’t get bonuses for failure, and neither should the Postmaster General. The PERFORM Act ends the practice of rewarding poor performance and makes clear that leadership must earn incentive pay by delivering results – not excuses.”
