With Postmaster General Louis DeJoy reportedly preparing to unveil plans this week for another round of austerity and operational changes, President Joe Biden faces growing calls from lawmakers, postmen and others to take urgent action to bring down the U.S. Postal. Protect Service from further damage, pave the way for DeJoy’s removal and support the agency’s finances for the foreseeable and distant future.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that DeJoy – a Republican mega-donor to former President Donald Trump – soon plans to “outline a new vision for the agency, one that includes more service cuts, higher and region-specific pricing and lower delivery expectations.”
“We want a Board of Directors that fundamentally understands this is not called the United States Postal Business. It is not a profit-making company. It is here to serve the people.”
—Mark Dimondstein, American Postal Workers Union
Meanwhile, the Post noted, “Congressional Democrats are urging President Biden to install new board members, creating a majority bloc that could oust DeJoy, a Trump loyalist whose aggressive cost-cutting over the summer caused much of the performance cuts.”
DeJoy was unanimously appointed in May by the Trump-appointed and dominated Postal Service Board of Governors, despite his complete lack of experience with the Postal Service, and wasted no time making sweeping operational changes at the postal agency that resulted in sudden drops in performance in the coming weeks. from, during and after the November presidential election – which led to allegations of politically motivated sabotage of the country’s most popular government agency.
While DeJoy was forced to temporarily suspend some of his operational changes last year in the face of a nationwide uproar and numerous court orders, the Postmaster General now appears to be planning to go ahead with his plan to paralyze the agency – a plan with Democratic lawmakers and postal workers shouting for action on the Biden government.
Because Biden is prohibited by law from firing DeJoy directly, Congress Democrats are urging the President to terminate every sitting post-governor – including those who publicly cheered over the Postmaster General’s changes as these major backlogs in the parcel across the country and delayed the delivery of prescription drugs and mail. in ballots – and replace them with officials willing to remove the Postmaster General and protect the service.
“My solution starts at the top: firing the entire board that ran Trump and DeJoy’s destruction of USPS. Clean house,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (DN.J.) tweeted Sunday.
Late last month, like Common dreams reported, Pascrell became the first congressional Democrat to call on Biden to remove the sitting members of the Board of Directors, which currently consists of four Republicans and one Democrat – all appointed by Trump. Under federal law, the president has the power to remove post governors “for good reason.”
“The board members’ refusal to oppose the worst destruction ever inflicted on the post was a betrayal of their duties and undoubtedly a good reason for their removal,” said Pascrell.
Days later, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio.) Pascrell’s demand and he accused board members of complicity in “unprecedented sabotage” of the postal service.
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“The response from the USPS leadership to the unscrupulous delays we are experiencing with the mail is extremely unacceptable,” Ryan wrote in a January 29 letter to Biden. “We must do the right thing to the American people, and we must do the right thing to our mailmen and postal workers.”
Last week, USA TodayJoining the growing chorus, the editorial board demanded that Biden remove the incumbent post-governors, noting that “in addition to hiring DeJoy, the board of directors is headed by a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who has been tapped by Trump. “
The USPS board will meet on Tuesday for the first time since Biden’s election victory. Like the Post reported Saturday, “DeJoy has told postal industry officials that he plans to remain in office to roll out an agency reorganization … The plan, parts of which were outlined to a Senate panel in August, includes geographic prices and longer delivery periods. the rental of postal assets and the provision of non-postal services, such as private financial services. “
Rather than ending the incumbent governors, Biden could instead move to fill the three remaining post office vacancies – a move that would give Democrats a majority and possibly the number of votes needed to oust DeJoy. Nominees for the postal administration must be confirmed by the Senate.
In the interest of protecting USPS from DeJoy and strengthening the postal agency as a public service, American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President Mark Dimondstein urges Biden to make “bold appointments” at the board of directors.
“We want a board of directors that fundamentally understands that this is not called the United States Postal Business,” Dimondstein told the Associated Press on Sunday. ‘It is not a company that makes a profit. It is here to serve the people. ‘
Democratic lawmakers and the APWU are also demanding swift approval of the USPS Fairness Act, legislation that would remove the onerous mandate that the Postal Service must prepay retirement benefits decades in advance. The House passed the bill last year, but then Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Refused to allow a vote on the measure in the upper house.
“Congress must re-approve the USPS Fairness Act,” Pascrell tweeted on Sunday. “We did that last year and McConnell blocked it for 333 days. Let’s do it again. ‘