WASHINGTON — Congressman Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) is leading a bipartisan effort to hold U.S. Postal Service leadership more accountable by preventing the postmaster general from receiving performance bonuses when the agency fails to meet key financial and operational benchmarks.
Strong recently announced that every member of Alabama’s congressional delegation has joined him in introducing the Postal Executive Responsibility, Fiscal Oversight and Results-Based Management (PERFORM) Act, legislation designed to tie executive incentive pay directly to the Postal Service’s performance.
Under the proposal, the postmaster general would be ineligible for performance-based bonuses if the Postal Service fails to meet nationwide delivery standards, posts a net financial loss, receives an adverse financial audit, or fails to submit required reports to Congress.
The legislation comes as the Postal Service has reported more than $25 billion in net losses over the past three fiscal years, including approximately $9 billion in fiscal year 2025. During the past decade, the postmaster general has received more than $2 million in performance bonuses, according to Strong’s office.
“The American people don’t get bonuses for failure, and neither should the Postmaster General,” Strong said, arguing that executive incentive pay should be earned through measurable results rather than awarded despite declining performance.
The bill has drawn bipartisan support from Alabama’s House delegation, including Republican Reps. Barry Moore, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt and Gary Palmer, along with Democratic Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures. Supporters say the legislation would improve oversight while restoring public confidence in the Postal Service.
Sewell emphasized that accountability should be paired with adequate resources for postal employees and local post offices to continue serving communities effectively. Figures said hardworking postal employees—not executives—deserve recognition when service expectations are met.
The proposal also arrives as many Americans continue reporting delayed deliveries and rising postage costs. While several lawmakers described taxpayers as funding Postal Service bonuses, the Postal Service primarily operates through revenue generated from postage, shipping services and related products rather than direct congressional appropriations for its day-to-day operations.
The PERFORM Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and now awaits committee consideration. If enacted, supporters say it would establish stricter performance standards for the nation’s top postal executive while reinforcing accountability for one of America’s oldest public institutions.