The National Postal Mail Handlers Union noted that DeJoy'sВ company had contracts with USPS that sought to privatize tasks performed by its members. Other stakeholders have cautioned that raising prices too dramatically will disincentivize large-scale mailers from using the Postal Service and encourage ecommerce giants like Amazon to expedite the development of their own delivery networks. The Postal Service has sought more autonomy in setting its rates, though its regulatory body has mandated that some caps remain in place. At a press conference last month he repeated a debunked claim that USPS is improperly taking a loss on its shipping agreement with Amazon and said he would not approve of any additional funding for the agency, or the disbursement of the already authorized $10 billion loan, unless USPS raised its rates. Trump has feuded with the Postal Service throughout his presidency and in recent weeks has blamed the agencyвЂ™s financial woes on the rates it charges its largest customers. вЂњThe Postal Service is in crisis and needs real leadership and someone with knowledge of the issues. вЂњPresident Trump rewards a partisan donor by installing him at the U.S. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who oversees the Postal Service as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, accused Trump of choosing DeJoy for political reasons. вЂњThere is a little bit of worry,вЂќ Plunkett said.

Now, they cumulatively have less than four. Typically, he said, the postmaster general and USPS board members would collectively represent several decades of postal experience. вЂњOne of the challenges the postal management will have is lack of institutional knowledge with the new board members and an outside postmaster general,вЂќ said Mike Plunkett, a former USPS executive and current president of PostCom, an association representing large-scale private sector mailers such as UPS, FedEx and Amazon. He was seen as a valuable member of the board, due to his experience as a former inspector general for USPS and several other agencies.

Williams was appointed to the position by Trump, as were all four of the remaining governors. While USPS said the vote to approve DeJoy was unanimous, a spokesman declined to say exactly when the board voted and it is therefore unclear if it was before or after WilliamsвЂ™ resignation. Williams stepped down in large part due to the Treasury Department and its Secretary Steve Mnuchin influencing the boardвЂ™s decision making, according to a congressional aide familiar with WilliamsвЂ™ thinking, especially as it related to its access to a $10 billion loan recently approved by Congress. The announcement also comes just days after one of the governors, David Williams, resigned from his post. More than 2,000 postal employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and 46 have died from related symptoms. The USPS board of governors recently voted to request from Congress $75 billion in financing to help make up for the shortfall. ItsВ financial problems have been exacerbated by a steep drop off in revenue due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Unlike Brennan and her two predecessors dating back to 2001, DeJoy is not a career postal employee.ДeJoy will take over the Postal Service at a tumultuous time for the agency, which has seen more than a decade of declining mail volumeВ and profits. He also is a significant donor to Trump and the Republican Party. DeJoy has previously worked with the Postal Service as CEO of New Breed Logistics, a company that handles supply chain issues and transportation support. Louis DeJoy will serve as the 75th postmaster general beginning June 15, replacing Megan Brennan. Postal Service will have a new leader next month, with its governing board selecting an ally of President Trump outside the postal system but with decades of experience in the logistics sector.

Postmaster general