As nationwide outrage continues to mount over recent developments at the U.S. Postal Service, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) has called on the Postal Service Board of Governors to immediately fire Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Although the president and Senate are involved in the placement of members on the Board of Governors, the board itself is responsible for the appointment of the Postmaster General, meaning that officials hoping to see change at the helm of the agency have to go through the board.
Asking for DeJoy’s immediate firing “for cause,” Duckworth commented, in part, as follows in a letter to the postal board:
‘DeJoy’s pathetic 10-year plan to weaken USPS demonstrates that he is a clear and present threat to the future of the Postal Service and the well-being of millions of Americans, particularly small business owners, seniors and Veterans, who depend on an effective and reliable USPS to conduct daily business, safely participate in democracy and receive vital medication… The only question facing the USPS Board of Governors right now is whether [Postmaster General (PMG)] DeJoy is the best individual to lead the Postal Service moving forward. Based on the PMG’s performance to date, the answer is clear: no.’
Laying out the stakes at hand, Duckworth called on the board to “[take] decisive action to stop PMG DeJoy from triggering a death spiral of plummeting service standards, plummeting customer satisfaction and plummeting revenue that will destroy the United States Postal Service.”
DeJoy has faced serious criticism for his handling of the Postal Service, which he’s cast as an effort to make the agency more financially efficient but has come at the cost of effective service to Americans across the country. Many people, from veterans to mail-in voters, rely on the Postal Service for critical deliveries, but under DeJoy’s so-called leadership, on-time delivery rates plummeted drastically throughout 2020. The impacts of these issues can be serious — many veterans, for instance, receive medications in mail deliveries.
President Joe Biden has announced three nominees for the currently open spots on the nine-seat postal board, but all six of its current members are appointees of ex-President Donald Trump. Last month, Duckworth asked Biden to fire all of the holdovers on the board from the Trump era, although there is no particular indication that such a move is imminent. Federal guidelines demand the presence of no more than five members of the same political party on the board, meaning that a simple majority (but not more than that) is allowed for Democrats.
