Transcripts For CSPAN3 Confirmation Hearing For U.S. Postal

Up next a confirmation hearing for u. S. Postal service governors and other judicial nominations to the d. C. Superior court. During this meeting members of the committee asked nominees questions concerning the health and safety of postal workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. This morning we will consider two nominees for the governor of the United States Postal Service, don lee moke and william zolers. Well consider three nominees for the judicial system to be associate judges in the superior court of d. C. We do have brief introduction of each. Donald lee moke served as president of the Airline Pilots association and captain with Delta Airlines for 31 years. He also served as an officer in the United States marine corp. Thank you so much for that service. William zolers serves red stone llc, hes the chairman and ceo of yrc until 2011, prior to that served in Senior Leadership positions with rider incorporated and Eastman Kodak company. Mark robins serves in office of general counsel as general counsel position. He also held from 2001 to 2006. 2012 to 2019 mr. Robins served as a member of the United States systems protection board. Prior to that he served as complex, executive director of the bush Civil Liberties Oversight Board and served for the state department where he advised modernization of iraqi provincial legal Justice System. Thanks for doing that as well. Carla ezekiel ross, goes by ezekiel, serves as counsel for the house of representatives community of ethics. He served as assistant United States attorney with Civil Division. Prior to that, he worked as a litigation associate at arnold and porter and served as a law clerk for the honorable James Spencer for the Eastern District of virginia. Most importantly in his resume to me is hes also a graduate of the university in tulsa, oklahoma. Elizabeth shapiro has been with the Department Since 1991, serving in various roles. Currently shes the Deputy Director of that department. Previously served as attorney adviser in the office of the slis ter and also served as a law clerk in the d. C. Superior court. The Committee Takes these nominations extremely seriously. Were pleased to have these nominees before us. Many staff reached out to the colleagues and affiliates of the nominees, spoke highly of you all. Staff has interviewed all the nominees on an array of issues. Each has thoughtfully, competently answered each question. We look forward to speaking with each of you more today on your experience and accomplishments on how you intend to bring them to bear for the District Of Columbia and the nation. I now recognize the Ranking Member for Opening Statement. Well, thank you, mr. Chairman, and thank you to the nominees for your participation in this process and for your willingness to serve the American People. We find ourselves today in the midst of an unprecedented time in our nations history. More than 100,000 americans have been killed by a deadly pandemic, a number that continues to grow. 40 million americans are out of work, and our entire country is reeling from the senseless killing of george floyd. And the reality of unequal access to justice, health care, education and Economic Advancement Many Americans face because of the color of their skin. We have much work ahead of us. One of the issues before us today is the future of the United States Postal Service, an agencys that committed to serving all americans in every part of the country from urban centers to rural roads. And during this pandemic, the Postal Service has been an especially vital lifeline for medications, food, and other supplies for Many Americans. Unfortunately, the United States Postal Service is in a dire financial condition, one that has been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. The Postal Service estimates it will lose 13 billion in revenue this year and may run out of funds as early as september. A collapse or reduction of Postal Services would negatively impact all americans, but it would disproportionately affect those who live on rural delivery routes, people with disabilities, and seniors who might have mobility issues. The Postal Service is often the only carrier that will deliver mail that last mile to rural homes. Supporting the Postal Service so that it can continue to offer equity and universal service to all americans is of vital importance, especially now. The Postal Service, the District Of Columbia and our nation face big problems that our nominees, if confirmed, are going to have to grapple with. And it will not be an easy job. But it is a job of vital importance to our nation, and i applaud our nominees for their willingness to serve the American People in these Important Roles. Though this time is dark, i remain optimistic that we will find ways to solve our problems, that the resilience and resourcefulness of the American People will win out and well all get through this together. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you senator haasen. We do swear in our witnesses. I ask you to raise your right hand. You dont have to stand there. We wouldnt be able to see you. Do you swear the testimony you give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god. I do. I do. I do. I ask that the record reflect all answered in the affirmative. Thank you for that. We have an Opening Statement for that. Im going to recognize mr. Moke for his Opening Statement first. Please give us your Opening Statement. Thank you. Good morning, chairman langford, the Ranking Member, and members of the committee, its an on knorr to address you today and i want to thank you for considering my nomination. I believe Government Service is a high calling and i consider it an honor to serve my country. My Government Service began in 1977 when i commenced the marine corp. Officer candidate school. Ultimately i was commissioned as i asecond lieutenant and served in the marine corp. As a Fighter Pilot flying the f4 and the f18. I did two tours of duty in asia and upon return did a navy turn in florida. After nine year of active duty, i left the marine corp. , transitioned to the navy reserve where i continued to fly fighter jets until i retired from the military with the rank of commander in 2001. After my time on active duty, i also became a pilot for a commercial air carrier. As a commercial Airline Pilot when not performing my primary duty of safely transporting passengers, i volunteered and was elected to the Airline Pilots association, an association that was originally conceived in 1931 to represent airmail pilots. I had many appointed and elected positions in the association, ultimately becoming the president of apa from 2011 to 2014. I represented more than 50,000 u. S. And canadian pilots on contractural, safety, and government policy matters. I lead a team to address complex bank restructures, mergers, and Retirement Health care and benefit matters. Nothing was easy in the airline and labor business, and all stakeholders had to Work Together to settle negotiated agreements. I also served on numerous government aviation safety committees including the federal aviation management advisory committee. The next Gen Advisory Committee on air traffic services. Recently i was appointed to the faas drone advisory committee. Last year i cochaired the department of transportations special committee to review the faa certification process. When i was nominated for a position on the board of governors of the usps, i was truly honored. More importantly, im motivated to get to work to help the Postal Service thrive and meet its universal Service Obligation. As a proud american citizen and a veteran of our armed forces, i am forever grateful for the mail that was sent from my parents in the United States to me at the mail call near my tent in south korea in 1983. And today i send mail to my youngest son, lieutenant moak on the uss deployed in the middle east. Whether its letters to and from our men and women in uniform, birthday cards from beloved family members, essential stimulus checks, or bill payments, the usps and its mission of delivering reliable, affordable, universal mail to the American Public is an enterprise that im motivated to ensure continues and succeeds. In preparing for this nomination, i have reviewed some of the information detailing the compound financial and service challenges facing the United States Postal Service today. If confirmed, i intend to spend intensive time working with the current board, the new postmaster general, usps management, usps labor, and all stakeholders to better understand the problems they are facing though im not a postal expert and im still only in the beginning stages of understanding the Postal Services current challenges, what i am is someone who believes that any problem is solvable. And as i have stated previously, ive worked on complex issues concerning many of these same challenges with multiple stakeholders with differing agendas and have found success. I believe that by identifying all issues, working with all stakeholders, driving consensus on a comprehensive plan, then deciding how to execute that plan with thorough, measured, and transparent oversight, success will follow. If confirmed, i look forward to working on the challenges facing the United States Postal Service and im confident that well Work Together to continue to meet the expectations of the American People and uphold the mission of the usps. Thank you chairman langford and members of the committee, and i look forward to your questions. Thank you mr. Moak. Thank you for the honor of being nominated and thank the senate for your consideration. The last time i was in a position to serve my country directly was 1970 when i enlisted in the Army National guard. In the 50 years since, ive accumulated substantial experience that i believe will help me make a contribution in solving the important challenges facing the Postal Service and give me an opportunity once again to serve my country. The founders obviously thought the Postal Service was important enough to include it in the constitution. And the fact that it has remained an integral counterpart of American Life throughout our history is a confirmation of their foresight. As a resident of kansas, i can verify the added importance of this Vital Service to Rural America where the Postal Service is a dependable and trusted symbol of government promises kept. It is for these Important Reasons that i am committed to help solidify the longterm future of this important part of america. During my years in private industry, ive led Large Organizations in three different fortune 500 companies and served on the board of directors of four different fortune 500 companies. My last position was the most relevant to the Postal Service since it was a nationwide unionized Logistics Network of over 50,000 associates. The company was on the brink of financial failure when my team took over. But by working in concert with our union work force on a strategy focused on mutual success, we were able to deliver four consecutive years of record revenue and profitability. In the process, weve delivered Outstanding Service to our hundreds of thousands of customers whether they were in manhattan, kansas or the island of manhattan. I mention this just to illustrate that i am familiar with turn around situations. During my 15 years of yrc, we served every zip code in the country, our own version of the universal Service Obligation. We delivered shipments to our customers on time regardless of distance or density and in the most efficient way possible. We were also able to off set a labor cost disadvantage with a knowledgeable and experienced work force enabled by an optimized network and Effective Technology. At yrc, we are also a direct participant in postal delivery process by providing consolidation and deconsolidation services on behalf of the usps. In addition, we were able to effectively deal with billions of dollars of unfunded liability in some of the multiemployer health and pension funds. From a broader governance perspective, i worked effectively for nearly 20 years on public boards in the Health Care Technology real estate and transportation industries. Ive also had the opportunity to experience Postal Service outside, five years in europe, three in canada,s and a year in japan gave me a different perspective of mail and delivering. Finally and very importantly, even though the Postal Service has complex and significant challenges ahead, they also may have a sustainable competitive advantage. Last mile, last such density. No other competitor has that and its why ups, fedex, amazon use the Postal Service on a regular and frequent basis to complete their deliveries. Although i do not yet have an in depth knowledge of the Postal Service, im anxious to learn as much as possible about the potential in this and other areas of advantage. So, if im fortunate enough to be confirmed, i will work with congress, Postal Regulatory Commission and the board of governors to oversee and guide management to ensure a sustained future for this important american asset, the United States Postal Service. Thank you, and i look forward to your questions. Thank you. Mr. Robins. Chairman langford, Ranking Member, and members of the committee, i appreciate this opportunity to present my qualifications and respond to your questions regarding my nomination to be an associate judge of the superior court of the District Of Columbia. I want to thank the president for the honor and privilege of his nomination and the District Of Columbia. I prejudice ledge to prove my w by carrying out my responsibilities with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. This is the second time ive had the honor of being considered by this committee. Last time was march 2012. I have a long professional history of productive and successful interaction with this committee, members and staff, both majority and minority as the positions have shifted over the years. Since the committee is in the present form in 2005 and going back to 2001. I believe my 30 year legal career has prepared me well for this new position. I have served for 13 years as a commercial civil litigation attorney general with broad experience at both law firms and as in house counsel. As the chairman noted, i was a member and acting chairman for seven years where i adjudicated over 4,000 cases. I am serving as general counsel at opm. Ive been a threetime general counsel to agencies. I was International Rule of law adviser managing the development and modernization of the iraqi Justice System with the armys 172nd infantry brigade. Ive been a member of the white house staff in two administrations. Serving as a judge on the d. C. Superior court would be the honor of my lifetime and the crowning ac