U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) said momentum is building behind his legislation to hold U.S. Postal Service leadership accountable, following the introduction of a Senate companion bill by Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville.
The Postal Executive Responsibility, Fiscal Oversight, and Results-based Management (PERFORM) Act would prohibit the U.S. Postmaster General from receiving a performance-based bonus in years when the Postal Service fails to meet delivery standards or key financial benchmarks.
“With Alabama’s entire congressional delegation united behind this effort, we’re sending a clear message: it’s time for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver,” Strong said.
The legislation was introduced in the House last week with support from every member of Alabama’s congressional delegation. The Senate version was introduced by Britt and Tuberville on Friday.
Strong said the measure was prompted by what he described as years of financial losses and declining service, including persistent delivery problems affecting North Alabama.
“They lost $25 billion in three years, including $9 billion in 2025,” Strong told 256 Today. “And they gave the Postmaster General a bonus of right at $200,000. If any other business in America were to lose $9 billion in one year, they would be bankrupt.”
Under the bill, the Postmaster General would be ineligible for a performance bonus if the Postal Service:
- Fails to meet nationwide service performance targets.
- Reports a net loss.
- Receives a material weakness, adverse audit opinion or disclaimer in its financial audit.
- Fails to submit a required report to Congress.
Strong said postal workers themselves are not to blame for many of the service issues.
“We’ve tracked this all the way back to whenever they moved the processing center from 565 and Wall Triana to Birmingham,” Strong said. “That is exactly when the failures began.”
He argued that routing local mail through Birmingham before returning it to North Alabama has contributed to delays.
“If you mail a letter from Madison to Huntsville, it’s taken to your local post office, then transported to Birmingham and processed, and then it comes back to be delivered,” Strong said. “It’s crazy.”
Strong said his office continues to hear frequent complaints from constituents about delayed mail, including medications, government checks and legal notices.
“I had a courthouse that didn’t receive mail for a month,” he said. “I had a city hall that didn’t receive it for three weeks.”
He also cited examples of residents receiving certified mail after public hearings had already taken place.
Strong said accountability is the central goal of the legislation.
“The number one thing is accountability,” he said. “Let’s identify the problems and start addressing them. To turn a blind eye to it is failing the people of the United States.”
The congressman said support from both Alabama senators significantly strengthens the proposal’s prospects.
“Coach Tuberville and Senator Britt are leading the spear in the Senate,” Strong said. “They’re hearing the same calls that I’m hearing in the 5th District all over the state of Alabama.”
Beyond the PERFORM Act, Strong said he has pursued several initiatives aimed at improving mail service in North Alabama, including advocating for the return of a regional processing and distribution center, supporting a new post office in the rapidly growing 35763 ZIP code and securing a U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General audit of regional mail operations.
Strong also suggested broader reforms may ultimately be necessary.
“I would support privatizing the United States Postal Service,” he said. “The government needs to look at whether this needs to be privatized or whether it can be cleaned up, because these type of losses are unsustainable and unacceptable.”
If enacted, Strong said he hopes the legislation will lead to greater oversight of Postal Service leadership and improvements in service reliability.
“We shouldn’t have to send Christmas cards in August for them to get there before Christmas,” Strong said. “The American people deserve better.”
