Trump-Appointed USPS Postmaster General Draws Republican Rebuke

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Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump during his last year in office, is receiving rare backlash from Republican lawmakers for his handling of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

A group of 26 U.S. senators, including 13 Republicans representing states with large rural areas, sent DeJoy a letter this week demanding that he works to “improve service immediately” and “restore status quo operations as much as practicable” in locations where his cost-cutting measures have resulted in significant delivery delays.

The senators argued that areas where USPS service has recently been changed under DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” initiative have suffered “critical delays for mail that requires overnight delivery,” with the possibility of on-time deliveries “for critical mail like medications and laboratory tests” having been “eliminated” in some areas.

Senators expressed skepticism that DeJoy’s plan would improve “efficiency or costs” overall, while warning that “local and rural service could be degraded” by measures like requiring outgoing mail to sometimes be processed at hubs that are out of state.

Louis DeJoy Republican Rebuke USPS Postmaster General
Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is pictured in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 2023. A group of 26 U.S. senators, including 13 Republicans, sent DeJoy a letter this week demanding that he pause his “Delivering…


Drew Angerer

DeJoy was urged to pause the plan and request a “comprehensive” advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission before moving forward with any further changes.

“The Postal Service’s primary responsibility is to provide timely and reliable delivery to every community across the nation,” the letter from the senators reads. “It must proceed with caution and understand the implications of its plans in order to protect mail delivery for all communities.”

Newsweek reached out for comment to the USPS via email on Friday evening.

Complaints about USPS delays have not been limited to rural areas. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia has repeatedly sparred with DeJoy over late deliveries in the Atlanta metro area, sending him a sharply worded letter demanding an update on Thursday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

DeJoy defended his plan during a meeting of the USPS Board of Governors on Thursday, arguing that “there was no path to financial self-sustainability” and “no growth strategy” before he took control.

“We recognize that there have been impacts to our customers,” DeJoy said. “We apologize for these conditions and are working hard and know that we will soon be delivering the service the American people deserve.”

“That said, we have and will continue to work tirelessly to improve our service for our constituents and ask for your patience and understanding as we work to bring the Postal Service up to the standard we know it can reach within the time limits we have for survival,” he added.

While the Republican senators who signed off on the letter remained silent about DeJoy on social media, some Democrats aired additional grievances and demanded that the board of governors exercise its authority to fire him in posts to X, formerly Twitter.

“Postmaster General DeJoy has failed again and again to address any of our concerns about the @USPS proposal to move our mail processing to California,” wrote Democratic Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. “We’re calling on the Board of Governors to conduct its oversight role to stop this nonsense plan and hold DeJoy accountable.”

“A lot of folks have asked me why [President Joe] Biden can’t simply fire DeJoy,” Democratic Congressman Marc Pocan of Wisconsin wrote. “Unfortunately, it’s up to the USPS Board of Governors. We can continue to call out DeJoy and keep up the pressure on the Board to replace him with someone competent.”

DeJoy’s stewardship of the USPS has been heavily criticized since he first took on the role, with critics pointing to accusations that he attempted to help Trump in the 2020 election by suppressing mail-in voting, his initial reluctance to use electric vehicles and the slowing of service on his watch.