Employee groups at the U.S. Postal Service are raising concerns that the departure of the mail agency’s chief executive could signal the Trump administration is hoping to upend its operations or privatize it entirely, promising to fight against any such efforts.
Louis DeJoy stepped down as postmaster general on Monday, just weeks after saying he would end his tenure leading USPS but wait until a successor was chosen. The news followed President Trump suggesting he would consider folding the Postal Service into the Commerce Department, as well as his signing an agreement for the Department of Government Efficiency to help identify cost-saving measures for the agency.
USPS announced on Monday it had contracted with executive headhunting firm Egon Zehnder to lead the search for DeJoy’s replacement. By law, the USPS board of governors, which is made up of nine presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed members, has ultimate decision-making authority on postmaster general selection.