Senate delays Amazon hearing pending Postal Service review: report

A hearing at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where senators are expected to scrutinize Amazon Inc.’s relationship with the Postal Service has reportedly been postponed.

Reuters reported on Friday that the committee has postponed the hearing, according to multiple sources. It is not clear when the hearing will be rescheduled, as the committee awaits a report from the White House on the overall health of the Postal Service and the implications of the service’s business agreement with Amazon.

{mosads}A spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, which leads the task force in charge of analyzing Amazon’s relationship with the Postal Service, an independent U.S. agency, told The Hill this week that the task force hopes to issue a report by the end of the year.

“The task force will continue our work to identify solutions to strengthen the USPS business model driving toward a public report before the end of the year,” she said. “It is clear that the governance of USPS must be fixed and we encourage Congress to take actions towards that goal.”

The rates the Postal Service charges Amazon are not public, but President Trump has attacked the company and its CEO Jeff Bezos, accusing them of ripping of the U.S. government.

“I am right about Amazon costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their Delivery Boy. Amazon should pay these costs (plus) and not have them bourne by the American Taxpayer. Many billions of dollars. P.O. leaders don’t have a clue (or do they?)!” Trump tweeted on April 3.

Trump convened a task force in April to overhaul the Postal Service, which included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the heads of the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget.

Proponents of Trump’s plan say that an overhaul of the Postal Service could generate more revenue from companies such as Amazon, while critics warn that the company and others will abandon the Postal Service for private shipping competitors.