83 FR 17281 - Task Force on the United States Postal System

Executive Office of the President

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 75 (April 18, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 18, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 17281-17283]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08272]



[[Page 17279]]

Vol. 83

Wednesday,

No. 75

April 18, 2018

Part III





The President





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Executive Order 13829--Task Force on the United States Postal System


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 17281]]

                Executive Order 13829 of April 12, 2018

                
Task Force on the United States Postal System

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, I hereby order the following:

                Section 1. Policy. (a) The United States Postal Service 
                (USPS) accounts for almost half of global mail volume 
                and is regularly cited as the Federal agency with the 
                highest public approval rating. However, a number of 
                factors, including the steep decline in First-Class 
                Mail volume, coupled with legal mandates that compel 
                the USPS to incur substantial and inflexible costs, 
                have resulted in a structural deficit where revenues 
                are no longer sufficient to fund the pension 
                liabilities and retiree health obligations owed to 
                current employees. The USPS is on an unsustainable 
                financial path and must be restructured to prevent a 
                taxpayer-funded bailout. This finding is supported by 
                the following considerations, among others:

(i) the USPS has incurred $65 billion of cumulative losses since the 2007-
2009 recession;

(ii) the USPS has been unable to make payments required by law for its 
retiree health benefit obligations, which totaled more than $38 billion at 
the end of fiscal year 2017; and

(iii) the Government Accountability Office has had the USPS on its high-
risk list since 2009 because of a serious financial situation that puts the 
USPS mission of providing prompt, reliable, and efficient universal mail 
services at risk.

                    (b) It shall be the policy of my Administration 
                that the United States postal system operate under a 
                sustainable business model to provide necessary mail 
                services to citizens and businesses, and to compete 
                fairly in commercial markets.

                Sec. 2. Establishment. (a) There is hereby established 
                a Task Force on the United States Postal Service (Task 
                Force), to be chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, 
                as Secretary and as Chairman of the Federal Financing 
                Bank, or his designee, to evaluate the operations and 
                finances of the USPS. In addition to the Chair of the 
                Task Force (Chair), the Task Force shall be composed of 
                the following department and agency heads, or their 
                designees:

(i) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(ii) the Director of the Office of Personnel Management; and

(iii) any other department and agency head the Chair may designate.

                    (b) The Task Force shall consult with the 
                Postmaster General and the Chairman of the Postal 
                Regulatory Commission.
                    (c) The Task Force shall also engage:

(i) the Attorney General, on issues relating to government monopolies 
operating in the commercial marketplace;

(ii) the Secretary of Labor, on issues related to workers compensation 
programs; and

(iii) State, local, and tribal officials as determined by the Chair of the 
Task Force with input from the Task Force members.

                    (d) The Task Force shall meet as required by the 
                Chair and, unless extended by the Chair, shall be 
                dissolved once it has accomplished the objectives

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                set forth in sections 3 and 4, as determined by the 
                Chair, and completed the report described in section 5 
                of this order.

                Sec. 3. Evaluation. The Task Force shall conduct a 
                thorough evaluation of the operations and finances of 
                the USPS, including:

(i) the expansion and pricing of the package delivery market and the USPS's 
role in competitive markets;

(ii) the decline in mail volume and its implications for USPS self-
financing and the USPS monopoly over letter delivery and mailboxes;

(iii) the definition of the ``universal service obligation'' in light of 
changes in technology, e-commerce, marketing practices, and customer needs;

(iv) the USPS role in the U.S. economy and in rural areas, communities, and 
small towns; and

(v) the state of the USPS business model, workforce, operations, costs, and 
pricing.

                Sec. 4. Recommendations for Reform. The Task Force 
                shall develop recommendations for administrative and 
                legislative reforms to the United States postal system.

                    (a) Such recommendations shall promote our Nation's 
                commerce and communication without shifting additional 
                costs to taxpayers. The recommendations shall be 
                developed in a manner that is consistent with the 
                proposed plan to reorganize the executive branch as 
                required by Executive Order 13781 of March 13, 2017.
                    (b) Such recommendations shall also consider the 
                views of the USPS workforce; commercial, non-profit, 
                and residential users of the USPS services; and 
                competitors in the marketplace.

                Sec. 5. Report. The Task Force, acting through the 
                Chair and the Director of the Office of Management and 
                Budget, shall submit a report to the President, in 
                coordination with the Directors of the Domestic Policy 
                and National Economic Councils, not later than 120 days 
                after the date of this order. In its report, the Task 
                Force shall summarize its findings and recommendations 
                under sections 3 and 4 of this order.

                Sec. 6. Administration. The Federal Financing Bank 
                shall provide administrative support and funding for 
                the Task Force.

                Sec. 7. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

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                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    April 12, 2018.

[FR Doc. 2018-08272
 4-17-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P