Are members of Congress involved with overseeing the USPS?

[brentspeak]

The USPS is a quasi-governmental agency, but are there special Congressional committee assignments which oversee how the USPS is run, the prices it charges, etc.?

[Cerridwen]

A "Board of Governors".

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/bog.htm

Be back in a sec with a snip.

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service is comparable to a board of directors of a private corporation. The Board includes nine Governors who are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The nine Governors select the Postmaster General, who becomes a member of the Board, and those 10 select the Deputy Postmaster General, who also serves on the Board. The Postmaster General serves at the pleasure of the Governors for an indefinite term. The Deputy Postmaster General serves at the pleasure of the Governors and the Postmaster General.

In 1970, when the Board was established by the Postal Reorganization Act, the Governors of the Postal Service were appointed for terms of nine years. The first nine appointments were for staggered terms of one to nine years. Subsequent appointments were made for the full nine years. On December 20, 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, P.L. 109-435, which changed the terms of subsequently appointed Governors from nine to seven years. The Act also added some professional qualifications for the Governors. The Governors are chosen to represent the public interest generally and cannot be representatives of special interests. Not more than five of the nine may belong to the same political party. They shall be chosen solely on the basis of their experience in the field of public service, law or accounting or on their demonstrated ability in managing organizations or corporations (in either the public or private sector) of substantial size; except that at least four of the Governors shall be chosen solely on the basis of their demonstrated ability in managing organizations or corporations (in either the public or private sector) that employ at least 50,000 employees.

Appointments are made when vacancies occur or for the remainder of unexpired terms. Each Governor’s term expires on December 8 of a given year. Governors may continue to serve following expiration of their term or until a successor is appointed, but not for more than one year. No person may serve more than two terms as a Governor.

My friends and family who work for USPS tell me that the entire organization has suffered horribly during the 8 years of bush.

And it weren't all that great before he got there.

edit because my snip got snipped.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. It was semi-privatized over ten years ago

but with this crisis I am betting they will have to do that. They are bleeding 20 million a day

[jody]

2. See links below.

House Committee on Oversight and Reform
Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction includes federal employee issues, non-appropriation municipal affairs of the District of Columbia, and the Postal Service, including post office namings, holidays, and celebrations.

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (FFM)