A Trump-era administrator remains in place as the Postmaster General for the U.S. Postal Service. But critics like Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio says their time is at hand.
Note: In response to this story, a USPS spokesman wished to clarify that presidents do not directly appoint their Postmaster General, but members of the USPS Governing Board do. The members themselves are appointed by presidents, but the spokesman adds that the board "is specifically designed to be nonpartisian and not subject to political influence."
Louis DeJoy is a Trump megadonor whose appointment last year caused controversy. While delivery has slowed and rates may increase, DeJoy has insisted his actions are to streamline the USPS.
President Biden has recently made three appointments to the agency’s governing board. Once approved by the Senate, they can act to remove DeJoy.
U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio is anxious to see DeJoy gone.
“I have urged the president to fire him outright," DeFazio told KLCC. "I mean yeah, he has a fixed term, yeah, it’s supposed to be independent. Hey…Trump fired people from independent agencies. He fired IGs and everything else who were supposed to be truly independent, we can get rid of this jerk.”
Even if DeJoy is removed, the USPS will likely be caught in partisan debate over mail-in ballots. DeFazio and other Congressional Democrats maintain vote-by-mail is fair and consistent.
Copyright 2021, KLCC.
