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Hi,
Louis DeJoy has been a complete and total disaster for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) since the moment Donald Trump installed him as postmaster general.
On-time delivery has plummeted.1 Postage rates have skyrocketed.2 DeJoy has cut operations at more than 200 locations.3
It's gotten so bad that even Republicans are fed up. In fact, 26 senators — including 13 Republicans, 11 Democrats, and 2 Independents — just called on DeJoy to pause any further implementation of his 10-year plan to shrink the U.S. Postal Service.4
DeJoy's response? He basically told the senators to go fly a kite, refusing to even consider revising his plans.5
Pressure is mounting on DeJoy, and we have a real chance to convince the Postal Service Board of Governors to finally get rid of him as his failures become more and more intolerable and bipartisan opposition grows.
Louis DeJoy's 10-year so-called "modernization plan" includes shutting down as many as 400 sorting and delivery facilities nationwide.6 Currently, 59 locations across 35 states are on the chopping block, and if these cuts aren't stopped, three entire states would be left with no mail-sorting facilities whatsoever, forcing even local mail to travel hundreds of miles just for sorting.7
Why is DeJoy doing this? He claims he wants to turn the Postal Service into a profitable operation — but that just shows that DeJoy doesn't understand or believe in the mission of the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS isn't a profit-seeking business. It's a public service that people absolutely rely on for basic needs, like receiving Social Security checks, medications, and mail-in ballots.
And for what it's worth, DeJoy isn't even succeeding by his own standard. He predicted that USPS would break even last year, and instead he lost $6.5 billion.8 And as service continues to deteriorate and people lose faith in the post office, the problems will only get worse.
Here's the challenge: Unlike cabinet secretaries and many other agency heads, the postmaster general can't be directly fired by the president. Only the Postal Service Board of Governors can do that. And President Biden wasn't able to appoint a majority on the Board of Governors until February, when two seats came open and he was able to appoint replacements.9
Now it's time for the Postal Service Board of Governors to take action. DeJoy has lost the confidence of Republicans and Democrats alike. His performance has been abysmal. It's time for Louis DeJoy to be fired.
With gratitude,
The team at Demand Progress Action
Sources:
1. Government Executive, "As USPS institutes network reforms, mail delivery hits a 3-year low," February 22, 2024.
2. Fortune, "Post Office wants to hike stamp prices for 5th time in 3 years to make up for 'defective' pricing system," April 9, 2024.
3. Government Executive, "USPS Lists Hundreds of Post Offices and Other Facilities Where It Will Consolidate Operations," August 26, 2022.
4. United States Senate, "Postmaster General DeJoy and U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors," May 8, 2024.
5. Government Executive, "Amid ongoing losses and bipartisan pressure, DeJoy remains defiant in pushing USPS reforms," May 9, 2024.
6. The Guardian, "'It's going to delay the mail': the fight over Louis DeJoy's USPS plan," December 15, 2023.
7. Common Dreams, "'Fire DeJoy' Demand Intensifies as 10-Year Plan to Sabotage Postal Service Takes Effect," September 29, 2021.
8. CNN, "The US Postal Service lost $6.5 billion last year. It predicted it would break even" November 15, 2023.
9. Reuters, "US House Democrats urge Biden to name new U.S. Postal board members," February 1, 2024.
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