The White House is backing a change of leadership at the United States Postal Service, where a Trump-appointed postmaster general faces growing calls to resign over service delays.
Louis DeJoy has made it clear he has no intention of resigning from the post despite admitting the mail service struggled to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and surge in holiday mail.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced it was appointing two Democrats and a voting rights advocate to openings on the Postal Service’s governing board, which press secretary Jen Psaki said would provide the means to oust a failing leader.
“I’ve learned more about the Postal Service than I ever thought I would know in the last couple of weeks, but it requires the Board of Governors, a majority of them, to overturn the leadership, and it’s clear that the leadership can do better. And so that’s our hope,” she told ABC’s The View.
Asked about those comments later during her daily briefing, Psaki said the USPS “needs leadership that can and will do a better job.”
HOUSE DEMOCRATS SUBPOENA POSTMASTER GENERAL FOR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO MAIL DELIVERY
The nominees are Ron Stroman, who recently retired as deputy postmaster general; Anton Hajjar, former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union; and Amber McReynolds, chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute.
The White House said, “President Biden is committed to the USPS’ success, and these experienced and tested leaders will ensure the USPS is running at the highest of service standards and that it can effectively and efficiently serve all communities in our country.”
If confirmed, the nine-member board would consist of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, with McReynolds as an independent.
More than 70 House Democrats urged Biden to act quickly on nominations in a letter last week, reflecting anger at DeJoy’s time in office.
DeJoy, a prominent Republican donor, was appointed by the board in May last year and came under intense criticism for service changes that delayed mail deliveries. Democrats accused him of trying to influence mail-in balloting ahead of November’s election.
Also on Wednesday, DeJoy laid down a challenge to his Democratic critics during a congressional committee hearing. “Get used to me,” he said when asked how long he planned to stay in the role.
He told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that cuts were needed because of a dire decline in revenue, but he admitted that services fell short of targets over the recent holiday season.
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“This is unacceptable, and I apologize to those customers who felt the impact of our delays,” he said.
