U.S. Representative Dale Strong, R-Alabama, recently announced that Alabama’s entire U.S. House delegation introduced legislation tying the postmaster general’s pay to the U.S. Postal Service’s mail delivery and financial performance.
The Postal Executive Responsibility, Fiscal Oversight and Results-Based Management Act, or PERFORM Act, would prohibit the postmaster general from receiving a performance-based bonus if the Postal Service fails to meet nationwide service targets, reports a net loss, receives a material weakness or an adverse opinion or disclaimer in a financial audit, or fails to submit a required report to Congress.
The postmaster general remains eligible for performance-based bonuses despite the Postal Service reporting more than $25 billion in net losses during the past three fiscal years, including a $9 billion loss in fiscal 2025. The postmaster general has received more than $2 million in bonuses during the past decade, according to Strong’s announcement.
“The American people don’t get bonuses for failure, and neither should the Postmaster General,” Strong said in a statement. “The PERFORM Act ends the practice of rewarding poor performance and makes clear that leadership must earn incentive pay by delivering results—not excuses.”
“If the U.S. Postal Service were a private-sector operation, it would have filed for bankruptcy years ago,” Strong said. “Further, if a CEO’s tenure saw an average annual net loss of $10 billion while service standards continued to decline, company leadership would be standing in the unemployment line—not collecting performance bonuses.”
The rest of Alabama’s House delegation joined Strong in introducing the legislation, including Republican Representatives Barry Moore, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt and Gary Palmer, along with Democratic Representatives Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures.
The lawmakers said the legislation would hold the Postal Service to performance standards and increase accountability.
“The American people expect accountability from every part of the federal government, and the U.S. Postal Service should be no exception,” Moore said. “When USPS is losing billions of dollars, failing to meet service standards, and falling short of basic financial accountability, taxpayers should not be expected to foot the bill for performance bonuses. It is absurd to reward bonuses to bureaucrats that fail to meet basic operational standards. I’m proud to join Congressman Dale Strong in standing up for taxpayers and bringing common-sense accountability back to Washington.”
“I was proud to join my friend, Rep. Dale Strong, in introducing this commonsense legislation to incentivize better performance by the Postmaster General,” Rogers said. “The United States Postal Service loses billions per year, yet the Postmaster General still receives performance-based bonuses nearing $200,000. We must hold the Postmaster General to account, and removing performance-based bonuses in years following substandard results is a great start.”
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, it’s worth remembering that the United States Postal Service is actually older than the nation itself,” Aderholt said. “Yet in recent years, it has fallen far short of the vision our first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin, had for our national mail service. Postal rates have continued to climb while service has become slower and less reliable. That’s why I’m proud to be an original cosponsor of the PERFORM Act, led by Congressman Strong, to help hold the Postal Service accountable to its customers, the American people.”
“The Postal Service has lost billions of dollars while Americans continue to deal with delayed mail and declining service, yet executives are still eligible for hefty bonuses,” Palmer said. “Being rewarded with taxpayer dollars for poor service is unacceptable. The PERFORM Act puts an end to this by ensuring taxpayer-funded performance pay is tied to actual performance and accountability. I appreciate Congressman Strong’s leadership and am proud to support this legislation.”
It should be noted that, contrary to the statements made by Reps. Moore and Palmer, the U.S. Postal Service does not receive any direct taxpayer dollars and is fully funded through the sale of postage and other shipping fees.
Sewell also supported increased oversight but emphasized the need to provide the Postal Service with enough resources to meet the standards outlined in the PERFORM Act.
“I am proud to join my colleagues in the Alabama delegation in supporting the PERFORM Act which will improve oversight of U.S. Postal Service leadership,” Sewell said. “Postal workers and post offices are lifelines for our communities, and they deserve the resources necessary to carry out their critical mission.”
Figures also expressed his support for the bill in a written statement to APR.
“The Postmaster General should not receive performance bonuses while the Postal Service is losing billions of dollars and customers are experiencing severe delays,” Figures said. “If anyone should be receiving a bonus, it’s the hardworking men and women who are out there breaking a sweat day in and day out doing what they can to actually deliver the mail, not a bureaucrat sitting behind a desk in an air-conditioned office in Washington, DC. I’m happy to join Rep. Strong in introducing this commonsense, bipartisan bill to raise standards and ensure accountability.”
The legislation awaits referral to a House committee for further consideration.
