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Brown University Data Science Institute Director Rubenstein Testifies Before House Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation released the following written testimony by Brenda M. Rubenstein, an associate professor of chemistry and physics and director of the Data Science Institute at Brown University, from a June 24, 2025, hearing entitled "Preparing for the Quantum Age: When Cryptography Breaks":* * *
First and foremost, I would like to thank Chairwoman Mace, Ranking Member Shontel Brown, and the Honorable Members of the House Oversight Committee on Cybersecurity, Information ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation released the following written testimony by Brenda M. Rubenstein, an associate professor of chemistry and physics and director of the Data Science Institute at Brown University, from a June 24, 2025, hearing entitled "Preparing for the Quantum Age: When Cryptography Breaks": * * * First and foremost, I would like to thank Chairwoman Mace, Ranking Member Shontel Brown, and the Honorable Members of the House Oversight Committee on Cybersecurity, InformationTechnology, and Government Innovation for your continued interest in and support for quantum technologies, including quantum computation, quantum sensing, and quantum cryptography, and classical post-quantum cryptography. I particularly applaud your conception of and support for the Department of Defense Quantum Computing Center of Excellence, which would advance potentially transformative technologies for our armed services. Quantum technologies are critical to our nation's scientific and computing infrastructure, health, prosperity, and defense. I thank the committee for providing me with the opportunity to testify regarding these important matters.
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My Background
My name is Brenda Rubenstein and I am currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics, set to become the Vernon Krieble Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Data Science Institute at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. To provide context for this discussion, I am an expert in quantum and statistical mechanics with 20 years of experience who has led several large research teams focused on better understanding quantum architectures and leveraging quantum computing for health. I am currently helping to lead a multi-institution team funded by Wellcome Leap, the philanthropic arm of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), to develop some of the first techniques for modeling biology on quantum computers that will help us unlock new therapeutics.
My experience transcends academia; before arriving at Brown, I worked on quantum simulations as a Lawrence Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and as a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow (CSGF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I moreover represent quantum science on the US Defense Science Study Group and have been involved in the founding of multiple alternative computing startups, including AtomICs, focused on molecular storage, and Azulene, focused on combining machine learning and quantum mechanics to improve therapeutics and catalysis. At Brown, I teach over 400 undergraduates quantum mechanics per year and have had the privilege of research mentoring nearly 25 graduate students, over 70 undergraduates, and many dozens of high schoolers from all parts of the United States in the quantum sciences in the nine years I have been there. Many of my students have become leading 1 quantum researchers in industry, academia, and the government. I believe this experience positions me to provide insights into opportunities for and challenges affecting the US quantum workforce.
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Quantum Technologies Are Essential to American Leadership
Over the past several decades, computing has emerged as one of the cornerstones of technology, if not all of society, enabling transformative advances in communication, human health, business, and defense. In 1952, my grandfather was among the first mathematicians to use UNIVAC, one of the first classical computers, to predict the 1952 election (and, as the story goes, the computer got it right, while the media and pollsters initially got it wrong); seventy years later, it is hard to imagine life without computers billions of times more powerful per dollar.
Nonetheless, despite their exceptional computing power, classical computers cannot accurately and efficiently solve every known problem. There are wide classes of problems including optimization problems, as commonly seen in finance, economics, and even biology, and materials discovery problems involving the design of new more efficient catalysts for energy harvesting and therapeutics for disease that are taxing, if not insurmountable, for classical computers. Quantum computers hold the promise to substantially, in some cases exponentially, reduce the computational cost of these classes of problems and others, enabling us to more rapidly and directly design cutting-edge materials and medicines, and even make statistical predictions about everything from elections to the evolution of the cosmos. These capabilities will have profound impacts not only on science and medicine, but on the well-being of all of society. Moreover, quantum computing and quantum technologies such as quantum sensors and quantum cryptography will enable faster, more discreet, and more autonomous predictions and actions on the battlefield, promoting our national defense.
These advances may sound like a luxury, but given the central importance of computing in our society, those who are the first to make these advances will rapidly reap their benefits to the potential disadvantage of others. And, given the multipolar world in which we live, if America does not realize these advances, others most certainly will, leaving us technologically vulnerable and behind.
As Vannevar Bush wrote to President Roosevelt in 1944, but rings equally true today about quantum technologies: "Progress in the war against disease depends upon a flow of new scientific knowledge. New products, new industries, and more jobs require continuous additions to knowledge of the laws of nature, and the application of that knowledge to practical purposes. Similarly, our defense against aggression demands new knowledge so that we can develop new and improved weapons. This essential, new knowledge can be obtained only through basic scientific research...without scientific progress no amount of achievement in other directions can insure our health, prosperity, and security as a nation in the modern world." There Is No Quantum Science Without a Quantum Workforce
Critical to realizing advances in the quantum sciences is establishing and securing a well-educated quantum workforce. As with all great endeavors, American ambitions of leading in the quantum sciences rest on ensuring that we have a large and renewable pool of talented, motivated, and dedicated people educated not only in quantum mechanics and computing, but also in important adjacent fields such as electrical engineering, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. As Vannevar Bush so eloquently phrased it decades ago, "We shall have rapid or slow advance on any scientific frontier depending on the number of highly qualified and trained scientists exploring it." After all, we may be able to find a way to make a widget, but if no one knows how to use, test, or improve it, it may as well not have been made at all.
While this can be said of any field, what stands out about quantum science is that it is fundamentally interdisciplinary - and daring - meaning that it requires an especially skilled and supported workforce. While we are making significant progress - since I was a graduate student alone, the world has gone from having quantum theories to real quantum hardware that is being used by many thousands everyday - we still have to surmount key technical challenges to realizing quantum hardware that can demonstrate valuable quantum advantage and utility, and even if we resolve these challenges, we will need multidisciplinary scientists who can pollinate other fields with these gains. In other words, there is a limited quantum recipe or textbook to follow. As a result, the quantum sciences demand a particularly agile workforce that is broadly educated, can translate across fields, can innovate around challenges, and can imagine realities that have not yet come to pass. Fortunately, America's long tradition of educating Americans to be intellectually agile means that America is well-posed to lead in the quantum sciences.
However, the US is currently struggling to foster such a workforce. In part because of the intellectual and technological challenges that surround this field and the risks associated with those challenges, comparatively few Americans opt into studying the quantum sciences, and even fewer Americans are familiar with what quantum science may offer their fields. These workforce development challenges are particularly acute for the experimental quantum sciences. While many trainees can - and voluntarily do - practice quantum simulation skills from their home using such as valuable tools as IBM's Qiskit and its related tutorials, it is not nearly as easy to train students in the design, construction, and testing of physical quantum hardware, which requires intricate knowledge of and experience using advanced electrical engineering, circuitry, and cryogenic technologies.
Because of our aging demographics and the fact that many of our peer nations have substantially larger populations that have the potential to field a larger quantum workforce, it is also critical that we cultivate our quantum science workforce from all swaths of American life, from all backgrounds and areas of the country. We cannot afford to lose this race because we overlooked some of our most talented racers. In the words of former Presidential Science Advisor Dr. Eric Lander, we must grow the high tech workforce by "not just cloning the people who are in it, but expanding to include everybody in this country who wants to be a part of it." Funding for Basic Research is Critical for Maintaining a Quantum Workforce
One of the indispensable ways that we train the next-generation of scientists in all fields, but especially in quantum science, is through basic research conducted at the undergraduate, graduate, and even increasingly, high school levels. Basic research is scientific research conducted with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and predicting natural or other phenomena, but basic research is not basic in level at all. Basic research often begins by posing a question or hypothesis and asking researchers, often trainees, to leverage their pure and applied knowledge to answer that question. Since these questions are typically cutting-edge, there is no clear 3 path to the answer and researchers usually have to blaze their own trails, first acquiring the knowledge and skills they need to even construct a path and then persevering down many incorrect trails until they find the (or one of the) right paths. Many students at first find this process daunting given its uncertainty (which indeed it is), but such training in how to solve basic research problems is irreplaceable as it teaches future researchers independence, dedication, the value of hard work, collaboration and communication skills, and most importantly, how to break down the seemingly impossible into smaller possible steps. These skills are not only indispensable in science and technology, but in so many high-demand careers, including business and politics.
Moreover, the field of quantum science descended from basic thoughts and ideas. Feynman's original conception of quantum computation stemmed from completely basic interests: Feynman, a Nobel prize winning theoretical physicist, found such a device worthy of his thought and potentially transformative. Many of the algorithms we use to quantum compute today, including the Variational Quantum Eigensolver and Quantum Phase Estimation algorithms, also owe their roots to basic electronic structure theory, including quantum Monte Carlo methods (my expertise). Charles Bennett, my academic sibling at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, conceived of one of the primary quantum communications protocols, BB84, from largely basic motivations. Today, many quantum architectures make widespread use of Josephson junctions, which also had basic origins. It is hard to imagine modern quantum science without these basic insights.
The majority of basic research training in the US today is conducted at US colleges and universities. Although industry and the government unquestionably contribute invaluable training through internships and other tools, they cannot practically scale to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of students that pass through our institutions of higher education, and because of the value they rightfully attach to their own time, often only want to train the best of our student population. Thus, most trainees interested in the quantum sciences receive their first practical introduction to the field in basic science laboratories throughout this country. Our institutions of higher learning can therefore be thought of as incubators that grow the future quantum workforce that supplies industry and the government.
Indeed, our basic science training pipeline, while still imperfect and leaky, has long been the envy of the world. As someone who has trained and taught in multiple countries, I can attest to the fact that most other countries, even countries wealthier than the United States on a per capita basis, do not expose their students to basic research conducted in a real laboratory environment until deep into their graduate studies. This leaves their populations book-smart, but not necessarily research-smart, which leaves a sometimes impenetrable gap trainees must broach to become scientifically productive, especially in crucial industry or government settings. Many cite this as the key reason why other countries struggle to produce as many successful scientific startups as the United States. For this reason, scores of students from abroad have historically and continue to seek our world-class training.
For many American scientists like me, this scientific basic research pipeline begins as early as middle or high school often with NSF- and DOD-funded programs such as science fairs (Regeneron, Broadcom, etc.), hackathons, and other competitions (USAMO, USABO, etc.) designed to spark students' creativity and innovation. It then continues through college where a combination of university, private, and government funding is used to support undergraduate research and into graduate school where this same important combination of institutions supports graduate research fellowships that turn into dissertations. These graduate students, who have now often been exposed to 5-10 years of basic research, then become invaluable assets to our quantum science and other workforces.
To use myself as an example, I first became involved in science when a middle school teacher encouraged me to lead a team into the NSF/Christopher Columbus Award for Community Innovation, for which we designed a project (new for its time!) that developed laser systems to help trains detect people on the tracks, thereby reducing railroad fatalities. This partially NSF-funded award was the first to expose me to active and practical problem-solving in science. After being fortunate enough to attend an elite publicly-funded STEM high school, I was then funded by the NSF and the Barry Goldwater Scholarship to pursue a variety of undergraduate research experiences that further refined my research skills. As a graduate student, I received both the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) and the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF), which granted me the autonomy to pursue high-risk, high-reward research and develop my skills as an independent researcher. Since receiving my PhD, my work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and a variety of private foundations. I have since leveraged those awards to found multiple companies, provide advice to government agencies, and train students who have since founded their own companies and contributed their talents to some of America's prized technology firms. I recount my story because it is illustrative of so many researchers: federal-funding was critical to constructing the pipeline that has been so pivotal to our careers and to ultimately positioning us to make meaningful contributions to larger American society in the form of discoveries, jobs, and defense. And, much of the funding for early portions of the pipeline comes with a relatively small price tag.
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The Quantum Workforce Pipeline Is Being Shut Off
Nonetheless, proposed federal budget cuts and other actions put much of this pipeline at risk. Plans to reduce the National Science Foundation budget for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences by 50% or more will reduce much of the basic quantum research that led to our current quantum technologies and now synergistically enhances our quantum science research and vice-versa. These reductions will make quantum funding more scarce and more concentrated, likely most adversely affecting EPSCoR and other states with less historical scientific infrastructure and preventing the US from leveraging all of its human capital. Even wealthier institutions are starting to shutter labs, close graduate admissions and graduate degree programs, and redirect resources. A dark cloud hangs over most American researchers today, blunting their usual zeal for research. While Universities and private foundations can provide some funding, these cuts substantially curtail the graduate students who can be trained and the instruments that can be built that advance the field; as was the case before World War II and our subsequent government investments in science, private funding alone cannot plug this massive gap.
However, beyond faculty-level research grants, which may be viewed as funding at the end of the pipeline, the budget for science graduate fellowships, including the NSF GRFP that I and over 70 Nobel prizewinners have received, has been substantially reduced. Offices charged with performing outreach to prospective, young talent have taken significant hits. Research for Undergraduate Experiences (REU) opportunities that often grant undergraduates their first formal research experiences may be eliminated. Looking back at my and many other researchers' trajectories, these cuts leave scientists like me to ask whether the pipeline that grew us will exist at all - and how future American quantum leaders will be trained.
Indeed, as someone who teaches many hundreds of ambitious young students and researchers per year, these cuts have already had marked impacts on the psyches of our trainees. I am fortunate to work with many outstanding minds and virtually all are now scared for their futures - because they are not sure whether there will be any such future for them. As should be the case, our students, particularly in this very competitive job market, are always hyper focused on their next jobs and achieving their next goals. Given the uncertainty reductions to research investments have created, many of my best students have started to think about jobs beyond science, and potentially "Batchelor's degreeing it out," i.e., closing their scientific chapters with a BS. Indeed, one of my star undergraduates who was recently named a Lindau Nobel Laureate, one of the highest honors for undergraduate researchers across the world, has begun considering "just" receiving a Physics degree "for fun" and then moving onto greener pastures. The fact that emerging leaders are beginning to leave with their feet as early as during their college careers is deeply disturbing. Who will be our next-generation of scientific leaders?
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Funding for Basic Research Can Ensure American Quantum Competitiveness
I therefore view our desire to support quantum research for defense, medicine, and other societal purposes as the mountain vista with the priceless view that we seek. But, to reach that mountain vista, we must traverse the underlying mountain, however arduous, by providing the investments and support needed. Federal funding has long supported the pipeline that has trained students in the basic research needed to make contributions to quantum science, to reach that mountain vista. Recent reductions will substantially reduce our quantum preparedness and competitiveness. It is crucial to think fruitfully about how we will sustain our long-envied training pipeline through the combined resources and braintrust of industry, government, academic, and other partners, including through cross-institutional fellowships and internships as well as consortia that bring industry, government, and academia to bear on the greatest quantum and regional challenges of the day.
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Original text here: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rubenstein-Written-Testimony.pdf
Boyle Statement on Senate Passage of Rescissions Package
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following news release on July 17, 2025:* * *
Boyle Statement on Senate Passage of Rescissions Package
Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans passed a partisan rescissions package. The legislation now returns to the House for consideration.
"Republicans say this is about fiscal responsibility. But just weeks ago, they passed a law that adds trillions to the deficit with massive ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following news release on July 17, 2025: * * * Boyle Statement on Senate Passage of Rescissions Package Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans passed a partisan rescissions package. The legislation now returns to the House for consideration. "Republicans say this is about fiscal responsibility. But just weeks ago, they passed a law that adds trillions to the deficit with massivetax breaks for billionaires. The hypocrisy is staggering.
This won't solve our fiscal challenges or lower costs for American families. It hands a strategic gift to China and undermines America's global leadership and security. I strongly oppose it."
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Original text here: https://democrats-budget.house.gov/news/press-releases/boyle-statement-senate-passage-rescissions-package
Boyle Statement on Passage of Reckless Rescissions Package
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following news release:* * *
Boyle Statement on Passage of Reckless Rescissions Package
Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement after House Republicans passed President Trump's partisan rescissions package. The legislation now heads to the President's desk for signature.
"Republicans once again handed over the congressional power of the purse to Donald Trump and Russell Vought. This was never about exercising ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Boyle Statement on Passage of Reckless Rescissions Package Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement after House Republicans passed President Trump's partisan rescissions package. The legislation now heads to the President's desk for signature. "Republicans once again handed over the congressional power of the purse to Donald Trump and Russell Vought. This was never about exercisingfiscal responsibility. If it were, Republicans would never have passed their Big Ugly Law that adds trillions to the national debt with massive tax breaks for billionaires. This was about caving to Trump.
The Republican hypocrisy is impossible to ignore. When a Democrat is in the White House, Republicans love to talk about Congress as a co-equal branch. But when Trump demands loyalty, they bend the knee and fall in line.
By cutting funding they only months ago supported, Republicans are undermining the appropriations process and weakening the constitutional authority of Congress. I'll keep fighting to protect that authority and uphold the Constitution."
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Original text here: https://democrats-budget.house.gov/news/press-releases/boyle-statement-passage-reckless-rescissions-package
Association for Postal Commerce CEO Plunkett Testifies Before House Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations released the following written testimony by Mike Plunkett, CEO and president of the Association for Postal Commerce, from a June 24, 2025, hearing entitled "The Route Forward for the U.S. Postal Service: A View from Stakeholders":* * *
Good afternoon Chairman Sessions, Ranking Member Mfume, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about the current state of the postal system and on ensuring its continued viability.
This is not my first time appearing ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations released the following written testimony by Mike Plunkett, CEO and president of the Association for Postal Commerce, from a June 24, 2025, hearing entitled "The Route Forward for the U.S. Postal Service: A View from Stakeholders": * * * Good afternoon Chairman Sessions, Ranking Member Mfume, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about the current state of the postal system and on ensuring its continued viability. This is not my first time appearingbefore the Committee, but it is the first since the untimely passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly; a tireless champion on postal issues. I was fortunate to have met the former Chairman on several occasions outside of the hearing room, and as a 30-year resident of Fairfax County in Virginia I have personally benefitted from his service as both my Representative and a County executive. On behalf of our members and the industry that owes him a debt of gratitude I want to express my deepest sympathies to his family and colleagues.
Less than a month from today, the Postal Service will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its origin at the Continental Congress in 1775. Well into its third century, the US Postal Service remains a beloved public institution, and a critical component of the nation's economic infrastructure.
The Postal Service has thrived for so long, not just because of the wisdom of the Founders in recognizing the value of a universal communications network, but because our postal service has adapted as the needs of its customers have evolved over time. Whether the telegraph, telephone, fax, or the Internet; the railroad, the airplane or the national highway system the Postal Service - or its antecedents - adjusted to meet the needs of its customers as technology and the nation's transportation infrastructure advanced.
As we convene today, the need for the Postal Service to adapt is as acute as ever. The Postal Service is on track to lose nearly $10 billion this year with declining package and mail volume and severe productivity and service challenges. We congratulate the Committee for opening a discussion on the need for change.
The Postal Service is not just a national treasure at risk. It is also the center of a mailing industry that employs more than seven million Americans, providing jobs in every state, and accounts for nearly two trillion dollars in annual revenue.
The companies that I represent rely on the Postal Service to deliver magazines, prescription medication, bills and statements, catalogs and essential business communications. They mail newspapers and locally targeted shared mail advertising that is often a lifeline for local businesses to get in business and stay in business.
Collectively, our members account for billions of dollars in postage annually and largely fund the provision of universal postal service in the United States. We depend on reliable, economical mail delivery and are invested in, and committed to, the long-term preservation and success of the US Postal Service.
Under the Delivering for America (DFA) plan, our member companies have been forced to endure unprecedented rate increases and service degradation while the Postal Service records staggering losses and squanders mailer-funded capital in an ill-considered eort to build out excess package processing capacity--even as Congress has provided billions of dollars in financial relief. As the chart below indicates, when proposed rate hikes take eect, some commercial postage rates will have more than doubled since 2021.
On the cost side, the DFA plan is narrowly focused on transportation costs, which account for a relatively tiny fraction of postal expenditures; any savings claimed thus far appear to be from deliberate eorts to reduce service quality. Simultaneously, the Postal Service continues to pursue an initiative that insources inter-facility transportation that increases costs by upwards of fifty percent.
Fundamentally, the Delivering for America Plan has elevated a narrowly defined measure of financial success of the agency above the interests of its customers and stakeholders. In a desperate eort to increase revenues, the Postal Service has exploited its mail monopolies to fund ill-advised forays into competitive market spaces where its presence is unnecessary and, based on recent results, unwelcome.
We are encouraged by the selection of David Steiner as the next Postmaster General and hope that his background and experience can help revive the Postal Service's fortunes. Our members are ready to work with Mr. Steiner and his team to restore what is still a tremendous communication and delivery channel with opportunities to increase the value that it provides to US residents and businesses.
That is why we are concerned that, under interim leadership, the Postal Service continues to pursue the failed DFA agenda. Last week, the Postal Service signed a new labor agreement, the second struck since the departure of the previous Postmaster General. If the incoming PMG is to have any chance at success, the Postal Service must immediately pause implementation of DFA including any insourcing eorts, and freeze discretionary capital spending.
More concerning still; in three weeks, the Postal Service is poised to increase rates substantially; many commercial mail rates will increase by more than ten percent as volume declines are accelerating. Those massive rate hikes will be compounded by reduced worksharing incentives that will cause some postal facilities to be inundated with volume for which they are not prepared.
Worksharing is where mailers perform tasks such as sorting, barcoding, or transporting mail, in exchange for postage discounts that are based on the amount of costs the Postal Service avoids by forgoing those activities. The partnership between mailers and the USPS allows mailers to save money on postage while helping the USPS improve eiciency and service, and has proven eective for decades
Concerned that the postal network could be gridlocked in mid-July, we communicated our concerns to the Postal Service's Governors suggesting that rate increases ought to be postponed; a copy of that letter is appended to my remarks. We have not received a response, so we urge Congress to remind the Governors that their duty is not to the Delivering for America plan, but to the mailing and shipping public.
While I have felt compelled to use this opportunity to clarify the precarious state of the Postal Service and the mailers who depend upon it, I must point out that the decline of the Postal Service is neither inevitable nor necessary. Mail remains an unrivaled channel for businesses to communicate with key segments of their customer base. I spent last week with mailers who believe in, and want to grow, mail. The Postal Service's last mile delivery network is unmatched in its ability to connect all Americans and can remain an important fixture in American life for decades to come.
The Postal Service is in diicult straits and in need of significant course correction. For the incoming PMG to have a chance at righting the ship, it is important that Congress and the Administration take all available steps to provide necessary support by:
* Impressing upon the Governors of the Postal Service of the need for a "strategic pause" to allow new postal leadership to assess its current predicament
* Filling vacancies on the Postal Service's Board of Governors
* Advancing legislation to address long-term structural issues that threaten the health of the postal system such as
* Allowing for investment of USPS retiree health benefit fund assets in nontreasury assets
* Repairing allocation of CSRS benefits for legacy Post Oice Department employees
* Restoring the rate stability that was undermined when the Postal Regulatory Commission weakened the CPI-based price cap with the inclusion of a "density adder" that accelerates volume losses by compounding rate increases at an unsustainable rate
That is what I would like to leave the Committee with. The Postal Service and mail can and should have a long and prosperous future. For that to happen, Congress, the Executive Branch and postal stakeholders need to work together. I congratulate the House Oversight Committee for recognizing the need to begin an essential dialogue and commit the resources of our associations and its members to support the Committee's eorts to improve our nation's postal system.
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Attachment: PostCom June 6 letter to USPS Board of Governors
To: The Honorable Amber McReynolds, Chairwoman, Board of Governors, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Room 10300, Washington DC, 20260-1000
Chair McReynolds,
On Friday May 30, the Postal Regulatory Commission approved the increase in rates authorized by the Governors of the Postal Service that are set to take effect on July 13. While we remain concerned that the size and frequency of rate increases is doing irreparable harm to the Postal Service and the mailing industry, we recognize the Governors authority over setting rates.
However, the rate changes scheduled to take effect in July include several complex structural changes as the Postal Service continues to implement its Delivering for America plan. The elimination of Network Distribution Center (NDC) discounts and Detached Marketing Labels (DML) require significant modifications; well beyond what is required in a typical rate proceeding. While we are committed to the successful implementation of the price change and have been devoting substantial resources to achieve that outcome, we have serious concerns that neither the Postal Service, nor the mailing industry that depends on it, will achieve that result.
Unfortunately, documentation needed for developers to update commercial mailing software is alarmingly late.
Under normal circumstances, complete specifications for a July 13 implementation should have been available no later than mid-April. Instead, documentation that is still pending public comment was not provided to software providers until May 1, and is not expected to be finalized until mid-June at the earliest.
Software companies, corporate mail centers, and mail service and logistics providers will therefore be forced to take shortcuts to meet an unrealistic deadline as well as seek exceptions for their clients who will otherwise fail to comply with preparation and entry requirements. Either way, July 13 implementation of the new rates is likely to result in misdirected mail, operational bottlenecks, postage payment adjustments, and severe service disruptions.
In 2022, we communicated concerns to the Governors that planned implementation of dimensional pricing for competitive products did not allow sufficient lead time to ensure proper compliance. In response, the Governors agreed to delay implementation by six months to allow adequate time to prepare.
In this case we believe the possibility of service disruptions is far greater but instead we are only asking that the Governors delay implementation of the proposed rates until September 28. This would allow sufficient time for the Postal Service's business partners to update their products to ensure an effective transition to the new structure.
We recognize that delaying the implementation of new rates could negatively impact postal revenues but believe the benefit of avoiding severe operational and service impacts will outweigh any revenue losses. We also recognize that the issues raised in this letter are technical in nature and therefore beyond the scope of matters typically presented to the Governors. We would be happy to provide additional information and/or brief the Governors further on this issue if you believe it would be helpful.
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Original text here: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Plunkett-Written-Testimony.pdf
As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury's Undisclosed Epstein File
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on July 17, 2025:* * *
As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury's Undisclosed Epstein File
Finance Committee Ranking Democrat Continues Years-Long, Follow-the-Money Investigation of Epstein Finances
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As Prepared for Delivery
Donald Trump says a lot of outlandish stuff. I don't think he's said anything more outrageous or stunning than what he said yesterday -- declaring the interest in the Jeffrey Epstein matter a "hoax" and a "scam."
The ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on July 17, 2025: * * * As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury's Undisclosed Epstein File Finance Committee Ranking Democrat Continues Years-Long, Follow-the-Money Investigation of Epstein Finances * As Prepared for Delivery Donald Trump says a lot of outlandish stuff. I don't think he's said anything more outrageous or stunning than what he said yesterday -- declaring the interest in the Jeffrey Epstein matter a "hoax" and a "scam." Thefigure at the center of this story was an ultra-rich, well-connected sex trafficker. He was a serial rapist of women and girls. And for some reason, the Trump administration -- a bunch of people who claimed they'd be the most transparent administration ever -- turned on a dime. Trump ran on a promise to expose the Epstein files. Now he and Attorney General Bondi say there's nothing more to investigate at all when it comes to Epstein and sex trafficking.
It's literally unbelievable.
If you want to know why, just look at the latest bombshell from my investigators, reported this morning by the New York Times.
Somewhere in the Treasury Department, locked away in a cabinet drawer, is a big Epstein file that's full of actionable information -- "follow the money" details about his financing and operations that await investigation.
Last year, the Biden administration allowed Finance Committee investigators to look at portions of the file in person over at the Treasury building.
Here is some of what it says.
Treasury's Epstein file details 4,725 wire transfers adding up to nearly $1.1 billion flowing in and out of just ONE of Epstein's bank accounts. If you ask me, that's 4,725 potential lines of investigation right there.
Hundreds of millions more flowed through other accounts -- that's even more to investigate.
The file shows Epstein used multiple Russian banks, which are now under sanctions, to process payments related to sex trafficking. A lot of the women and girls he targeted came from Russia, Belarus, Turkey and Turkmenistan. You shudder to think about the kinds of people who must have been involved in trafficking these women and girls out of those countries and into Epstein's web of abuse.
Again, these are all potential leads the Department of Justice ought to be digging into. This is about years and years of international sex trafficking. None of this is a hoax. None of it is a scam. It's insulting to the intelligence of the American people when Trump and Bondi say there's nothing here to investigate.
I mentioned a moment ago that Finance Committee investigators reviewed portions of the Epstein file last year.
When the Trump administration came in with a whole lot of fanfare about transparency and openness, I decided to put it to the test. I wrote to Attorney General Bondi, Treasury Secretary Bessent and FBI Director Patel seeking that they produce the Epstein file to the Finance Committee for further review. In fact, I have made that request multiple times. The Trump commitment to transparency didn't really mean a whole lot after all, because they refused.
Here's what a Treasury official wrote back to me:
"...The Department of the Treasury has previously made documents available relating to this matter in response to your inquiries. Accordingly, we understand that you have the information you seek from the Treasury related to this request. We thank you for your attention to this important issue."
For anybody who's unfamiliar with how these discussions usually go, that's basically just Washington lingo for "go pound sand."
The Trump administration may be closing the books on Epstein's sex trafficking, but I am not ready to give up. Far from it.
I'm going to have more follow-up for Attorney General Bondi very soon. As for today, if she doesn't want the DOJ to do any of this investigating, I'll renew my original demand. The Trump administration ought to give the Treasury Department's Epstein file to the Senate. Let the Senate follow the money. If Trump's people think they need additional authority to make that happen, I'll help them write the bill myself.
The idea that there's nothing more to investigate when it comes to Epstein's sex trafficking operation is just ridiculous. Pam Bondi was the attorney general in the state of Florida, where a lot of Epstein's crimes were committed. She ought to know better.
I don't know what's going on with Trump, or why he wants this matter to go away. It's not going to happen. We're talking about real evil done to women and girls by Jeffrey Epstein. Nobody gets to sweep this under the rug.
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Original text here: https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/as-trump-downplays-epstein-wyden-unveils-details-of-treasurys-undisclosed-epstein-file
Cantwell Questions Nominees to Lead FMCSA, PHMSA & NHTSA on Their Commitment to Public Safety & Protecting Federal Safety Inspectors From Political Retaliation
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued the following news release on July 17, 2025:* * *
Cantwell Questions Nominees to Lead FMCSA, PHMSA & NHTSA on Their Commitment to Public Safety & Protecting Federal Safety Inspectors from Political Retaliation
Under Trump Administration, safety enforcement plummeting
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U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, questioned Trump transportation nominees to lead the Federal Motor ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued the following news release on July 17, 2025: * * * Cantwell Questions Nominees to Lead FMCSA, PHMSA & NHTSA on Their Commitment to Public Safety & Protecting Federal Safety Inspectors from Political Retaliation Under Trump Administration, safety enforcement plummeting * U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, questioned Trump transportation nominees to lead the Federal MotorCarrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on their commitments to public safety.
"Each of these agencies has an important responsibility to protect the health and safety of the traveling public, the movement of goods, and our environment," Sen. Cantwell said to the nominees. "Unfortunately, since January, we've seen a significant drop in oversight and enforcement actions across these agencies, potentially letting bad actors get away with violating safety and consumer protection laws... We want you to continue to play an aggressive oversight role."
In the first six months of the Trump Administration, safety oversight and enforcement has plummeted. FMCSA enforcement actions are down 78 percent since last year. NHTSA has opened 25 percent fewer investigations into vehicle safety issues this year than they did during the same period of Trump's first term. PHMSA has opened the fewest enforcement cases during the first six months of the Trump Administration than in any presidential term in the past two decades, including President Trump's first term.
Lack of enforcement could be exacerbated by career staff fearing retaliation for doing their jobs. On the same day Steven Bradbury was confirmed as Deputy Secretary, DOT sent a memo to employees asserting that a safety investigator could be perceived as having "personal animus" against a company, grounds to exclude them from participating in investigations.
A few months later, DOT proposed changes to DOT's enforcement process to allow companies charged with violating safety or consumer protection laws the ability to accuse DOT investigators of personal animus and to request an intervention from the DOT General Counsel. This could include "a recommendation to the relevant agency decisionmaker for appropriate administrative discipline of personnel found to have violated the rule," such as suspensions, demotions, or even terminations.
When Sen. Cantwell asked each nominee if he would commit to protecting these essential inspectors and enforcement officials, Derek Barrs, nominated to lead the FMCSA, refused to answer directly.
"So, I want to know from you whether you believe that you are going to protect these inspectors from that kind of retaliation," she said. "Will you commit to being a strong policeman on the beat and making sure there's no political interference at your agencies on those inspectors?"
"I can tell you that throughout my career in law enforcement, I mentioned earlier that enforcement is key, and making sure that the bad actors, as mentioned here, are dealt with accordingly," Barrs said, avoiding a direct response. "And the inspectors and officers that work within FMCSA have a diligent job to do, and making sure that they can carry out the missions and place these bad actors out. And it's extremely important to me that make sure that we do that and we work together collaboratively with them and then give them the tools and the toolbox that they need to address these issues that you referring to."
"So, no political retaliation?" Sen. Cantwell pushed.
"Senator, I'm looking forward to working with them and making sure that they're able to do their job, and I think that's what's important," Barrs said.
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Original text here: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/7/cantwell-questions-nominees-to-lead-fmcsa-phmsa-nhtsa-on-their-commitment-to-public-safety-protecting-federal-safety-inspectors-from-political-retaliation