I joined with my colleagues on the Governmental Affairs Committee in asking for this Transformation Plan last year because I knew that unless the Postal Service prepared for its future, the nation's $900 billion domestic mailing industry and its employees would be at great risk. Evolving technology and the recent recession and terrorist attacks have changed the way information is delivered. The General Accounting Office has warned for several years that falling mail volumes were impacting revenue and that the Postal Service's business model was "unsustainable." The bottom line was that merely raising postage rates would not address the long-term structural, financial, and operational issues facing the Postal Service.

As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, I will ask the Postmaster General to testify before the Subcommittee later this month or in early May regarding the Transformation Plan. There are key questions that must be examined: how does the Postal Service want to change the current legislative and regulatory framework; how will the Service address labor management issues; what pricing flexibilities and product opportunities will it seek; and how will these changes ensure the Service's vision for the future. The answers to these questions and others are critical to the success of the Transformation Plan both in and out of Congress.

I commend the Postmaster General and the Postal Board of Governors, as well as everyone who has worked on the Transformation Plan, and I look forward to working with Mr. Potter to build a stronger Postal Service.