NAPS Chat

Elena Patel, Co-Director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, joins Bob to discuss the extraordinary economic impact the Postal Service has on rural and postal-reliant communities, as well as the importance of the agency's universal service obligation to the entire country. Elena and Bob also talk about the difficulty the Postal Service has in effectively meeting this obligation...

At the 2026 NAPS Legislative Conference, in Washington, NAPS bestowed it annual Gold Standard for Legislative Leadership Award to former New Jersey Legislative Chair George Barrett. George joins Bob to discuss his tactics and strategies to maximize his opportunities to promote the interests of EAS level postal employees and retirees. Also, George shares his "tricks of the trade" and reflects on memorable congressional eng...

National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian Renfroe joins Bob to discuss the postal outlook from the perspective of the nation's largest postal union. Brian and Bob talk about the the necessity for unity among postal stakeholders to confront the daunting challenges confronting the USPS, as well as the steadfast commitment the community must have to ensure the agency's public service obligations are not jettisone...

NAPS President Ivan Butts, joins Bob to discuss the late-breaking postal news that includes the USPS' hiring of a restructuring and "turnaround" consultant and the nomination of three new individuals to the Postal Board of Governors. In addition, Ivan and Bob talk about the upcoming NAPS legislative conference in Washington and the recent Congressional Postal Caucus round table, at which Ivan participated. Ivan also recounts his le...

Snailworks President Dave Lewis, joins Bob to discuss postal performance, mail tracking and the effectiveness of direct mail. Snailworks is a Maryland-based company that assists corporations, charitable organizations and political entities monitor mail performance, calibrate mailing campaigns and plan direct marketing to effectively use the mail. Among the issues David and Bob discuss are the differences, if any, between the USPS&#...

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Director of Physical Infrastructure David Marroni, joins Bob to discuss key policy decisions that Congress must make if the U.S. Postal Service is to be sustainable and continue to provide the essential services to which Americans are entitled and expect. Director Marroni, a 22-year veteran of the GAO, lays out key choices that Congressneeds to make and reviews recent GAO evaluations of the US...

Former postal employee Steve Grant, author of the best-selling book, Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home, joins Bob to discuss his book and share his views about the U.S. Postal Service. The book, published during this past summer by Simon & Schuster, recounts Steve’s personal experiences and reflections on working for the Postal Service and the customers he served. Steve and Bob ...

Kevin Moss, editor of the Consumers' Checkbook Guide to PSHBP Plans, joins Bob to discuss strategies to choosing a health insurance plan during the Postal Service Health Benefits Program Open Season (November 10 - December 8). Kevin and Bob talk about how to maximize health coverage, premium increases and benefit changes. In addition, they explore how Medicare participants may exercise their health plan options. Also, Bob talks...

Joy Sanzone and David Neu of the US Postal Service Office Of Inspector General (OIG) join Bob to discuss their new "White Paper" that explores the evolution of the USPS' retail network and how the network is adapting, or not adapting, to the the dynamic postal environment.  Joy, David and Bob talk about how the Postal Service's "universal service obligation" informs the postal retail footprint, whether t...

NAPS Secretary-Treasurer James (Jimmy) Warden joins Bob to discuss a variety of issues that impact supervisory and managerial level postal employees, as well as matters of interest to the broad USPS  community. In part, Jim and Bob talk about NAPS' aggressive lobbying to ensure a smooth 2025 Postal Service Health Benefits Program Open Season, and NAPS' continued congressional outreach to protect employee benefits and promote USPS s...

Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) joins Bob to discuss the newly established bipartisan Congressional Postal Caucus. Reps. Budzinski and Jack Bergman (R-MI) co-chair the caucus. The congresswoman and Bob talk about why members of Congress felt it necessary to create the caucus. In addition, Rep. Budzinski and Bob explore the coalition's important mission, its advocacy on behalf of the Postal Service, universal service and postal stak...

NAPS Executive Vice President Chuck Mulidore joins Bob to discuss NAPS' successful efforts to defeat USPS employee cuts in the FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act. Chuck and Bob also talk about a July 2 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Inspector General report, which warned of impending danger to the 2025 Postal Service Health Benefits Program open season. Chuck and Bob review NAPS' activities on Capitol Hill to ensure th...

Rep. Suhas Subramanyan (D-VA) joins Bob to discuss congressional activities having a direct impact on postal and federal employees, and his impressions of his first six months in the House of Representatives. Congressman Subramanyan serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Postal Service and the federal workforce. In addition, Bob provides a summary of the June 24 House postal hear...

National Association of Active and Retired Employees (NARFE) Vice President for Policy and Programs Vice President John Hatton joins Bob to discuss the recent budget attacks on the postal and federal employee community, and effective strategies to protect the benefits. John and Bob talk about the "budget reconciliation process" and legislation the House Oversight and Accountability Committee approved at its April 30 meeti...