Government affairs

President Biden announced his intent to renominate Michael Kubayanda to serve as a Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Kubayanda, who has served as the chairman of the commission since January, has been a member of the PRC since 2019.

Prior to his service on the PRC, Kubayanda served as a board member and privacy officer for a digital health startup. He also previously worked with the USPS Office of Inspector General and as counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The PRC is the independent body that exercises regulatory oversight over the Postal Service. Its responsibilities include preventing anticompetitive practices, promoting accountability, adjudicating complaints, setting postal rates and helping oversee delivery service standards. The PRC has five commissioners, who are nominated by the president for six-year terms and confirmed by the Senate.

The renomination of Kubayanda is good news for the PRC and the Postal Service. NALC appreciates this nomination and also strongly urges the president to prioritize the renomination of Ron Bloom to serve a new term on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors (BOG). Bloom, the BOG Chairman, is currently serving in a holdover year from his partial term that expired in December 2020.

Bloom has been an important leader in helping the Postal Service navigate through one of its most turbulent periods, the COVID-19 pandemic. During his time on the BOG, he called for broad relief for the Postal Service in various COVID-19 recovery bills, led a sub-committee overseeing the Postal Service’s national election taskforce alongside fellow BOG member Lee Moak, and urged the BOG to support and maintain six and seven-day delivery. Bloom has actively worked with Postmaster General Louis Dejoy to bring wide bipartisan support for postal reform legislation, a top priority for postal workers across the country.

Experienced, competent, and consistent leadership on the BOG is essential. NALC urges the administration to renominate Bloom for a new term.

NALC will update letter carriers on the status of Kubayanda’s renomination as well as any future PRC or BOG nominations.