House Democrats call on Biden to fill Postal Service Board vacancies to pave way for ousting DeJoy

A group of 80 House Democrats on Wednesday called on President Biden to fill three vacancies on the U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors, which would pave the way for potentially removing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy from his position. 

The Democratic lawmakers, led by Reps. Alma Adams (N.C.), Peter DeFazio (Ore.), and Gerry Connolly (Va.), urged Biden to prioritize submitting nominations for the vacancies “as expeditiously as possible.”

“We do not doubt that the Postal Service requires some thoughtful reforms in order to continue to provide excellent service to the American people in the years to come; however, there is a plethora of evidence that Postmaster General DeJoy is not equipped to meet the rigors of these challenges,” they wrote in a letter to the president. 

“Filling the vacant seats on the Postal Service’s Board of Governors with strong, passionate advocates for the institution will allow it to function in a nonpartisan manner, and will allow the Board to seriously consider whether the current Postmaster General is suitable to continue in his role.”

The Postal Service Board of Governors has six members that were appointed by former President Trump, two of whom are Democrats. DeJoy could only be removed by the Postal Service Board of Governors, as Biden can’t remove him directly. 

Earlier this month, Ron Bloom, a former Obama administration official who was nominated by Trump to the Board in 2019, was elected its chairman. Bloom succeeded Robert Duncan, a Republican appointed by Trump who remains on the Postal Service Board. 

DeJoy, a GOP megadonor who previously ran a logistics company, drew the ire of Democrats shortly after becoming postmaster general last year for implementing cost-cutting measures at the Postal Service that led to mail delivery delays.

In response to the backlash at the time, DeJoy announced last August that he would pause changes to Postal Service operations until after the November election “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.” Trump had for months tried to sow doubt in the reliability of casting ballots by mail as many people sought for alternatives to voting in person during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But DeJoy is reportedly considering additional operational changes. The Washington Post reported last week that DeJoy is preparing to designate all first-class mail for a three-to-five-day delivery window, instead of allowing for a separate tier that delivers mail in two days. Only 38 percent of first-class mail was delivered on time at the end of last year. 

In response to the Washington Post report, Connolly, who chairs a House Oversight subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Postal Service, also called on Biden last week to “immediately” remove and replace the entire Board of Governors to clear the way for DeJoy’s removal.

The Biden administration has said that Biden intends to fill the vacancies with officials “who reflect his commitment to the workers of the U.S. Postal Service,” but has not yet offered a timeline.

Here’s the full statement from the White House official who says Biden is focused on filling the #USPS Board of Governors vacancies: pic.twitter.com/IQSCNCCHiW

— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) February 8, 2021

In the meantime, the House Oversight and Reform Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing next Wednesday with DeJoy and Bloom on legislative reforms for the Postal Service.