Biden believes Postal Service leadership ‘can do better,’ White House says, as DeJoy faces scrutiny

The White House on Thursday swiped at Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, signaling a change in leadership at the U.S. Postal Service could be coming once President Biden’s picks for the agency’s board of governors are confirmed.

“The president is committed to the Postal Service’s success, which is why yesterday he nominated three extremely qualified individuals to fill the empty spots on the board of governors,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a briefing.

“And the American people highly value the Postal Service and the men and women who deliver our mail every day and are working hard to do exactly that,” she continued. “But I think we can all agree, most Americans would agree, that the Postal Service needs leadership that can and will do a better job.”

Asked if the White House would be looking to replace DeJoy, a Trump appointee, as head of the Postal Service, Psaki noted the agency’s board of governors has authority to determine the leadership.

“I think the president is certainly familiar with the process,” she said. “He believes the leadership can do better, and we are eager to have the board of governors in place.”

Biden on Wednesday announced three nominees to fill the remaining vacancies on the nine-person USPS board of governors.

The appointments require Senate confirmation. If all three of Biden’s picks are confirmed, the majority of members on the board would be appointed by Democrats, which could clear the way to removing DeJoy and picking a replacement.

Biden intends to nominate former deputy postmaster general Ron Stroman, former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union Anton Hajjar, and CEO of the nonpartisan National Vote at Home Institute Amber McReynolds.

DeJoy has faced calls to step down dating back to last year as members of both parties have raised concerns about the management of the Postal Service. The issue came to a head leading up to the 2020 election, as officials worried issues at the agency would lead to delays in sending and receiving the massive influx of mail-in ballots sparked by the pandemic.

DeJoy testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday, where he acknowledged that the Postal Service experienced delivery delays that were particularly pronounced late last year during the holidays.