House Democrat Tells Biden To Fire Postal Service Board As DeJoy Readies New Changes - Forbes

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Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) called for President Joe Biden to fire the entire U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Friday after the Washington Post reported Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is preparing changes that would further slow mail delivery, the latest salvo in a Democratic pressure campaign for Biden to overhaul the USPS board in order to oust the agency’s Trump-allied leader.

Key Facts

Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported Friday that DeJoy intends to change how first-class mail is transported and raise postage rates “significantly,” which would cause “slower and more costly” delivery if finalized.

First-class mail would reportedly no longer be transported by airplane under the plan, and two-day first-class delivery would be eliminated.

Connolly, who chairs the House Oversight Committee’s Government Operations subcommittee, said Biden should “immediately remove and replace” the entire board of governors with members who would fire DeJoy.

The lawmaker said the six board members—who DeJoy said in a statement are backing his changes—have been “just as reprehensible and destructive” as the postmaster general, a GOP fundraiser who became a Democratic target after changes imposed over the summer caused widespread mail delays.

Connolly is the third Democrat to call for Biden to fire the entirely Trump-appointed board in recent weeks, following Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), and Democrats have also written to DeJoy complaining of continued mail delays.

The Oversight Committee will hold a hearing with DeJoy and other postal leaders on Feb. 24 to discuss the agency’s future plans and financial stability.

Crucial Quote

The board of governors has “proven to be a cabal of cowards, complicit in DeJoy’s attacks, derelict in their duties, and unwilling to hold the Postmaster accountable. America deserves a clean slate,” Connolly said in a statement, arguing replacing the board “is the only way to restore faith in this institution and save the Postal Service.”

What To Watch For

Only the board of governors has the power to fire DeJoy. If Biden chooses not to fire the existing board members, he still has three vacancies he can fill on the nine-person board, and could replace a member whose term has technically expired. This would give the board a narrow 5-4 Democratic majority that could vote to oust DeJoy. The Biden administration has so far said only that the president intends to replace the existing vacancies, rather than fire current board members, who serve set terms and can only be dismissed “for cause.”

Chief Critic

The Postal Service declined to comment on Connolly, but sent Forbes a statement from DeJoy that said his new “comprehensive” changes are “not only needed, [they are] long overdue.” The statement did not comment on the specifics of the plan, which is slated for release in the coming weeks and was undertaken with feedback from lawmakers, industry leaders and USPS officials.

Key Background

Congressional Democrats have long been staunch critics of DeJoy and the board of governors, which until this week was chaired by Robert Duncan, a Republican who also leads Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s super PAC. House Democrats called DeJoy to testify over the summer about his changes to USPS operations and the resulting mail delays, and accused him in the run-up to the election of conspiring with former President Donald Trump to sabotage mail-in voting. (DeJoy has repeatedly denied this.) The Post previously reported Democrats have wide-ranging plans for postal reform as they now control both Congress and the White House—with an emphasis on trying to oust DeJoy.