WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling on Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) to delay the Committee’s consideration of two pending nominees to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors until President Trump consults with Senate Democrats and nominates qualified Democratic candidates to preserve the Board’s bipartisan independence.
In a letter to Chairman Paul ahead of the Committee’s consideration of two USPS Board nominees, Peters raised concerns that President Trump has nominated four Republicans to the Board of Governors and refused to consult the Senate Minority Leader or Committee Democrats on Democratic nominees, breaking with decades of longstanding bipartisan practice and jeopardizing the political independence Congress built into the Postal Service’s governing board. The USPS Board of Governors is required to be made up of bipartisan members. Federal law limits the number of Governors from any one political party and directs the President to consult with congressional leadership from both parties when making nominations to the Board.
“Given the urgent financial, policy, and service issues facing the USPS and the critical role the Board plays in ensuring the Postal Service fulfills its public service mission, it is imperative that the President nominate and the Senate confirm well-qualified nominees from both political parties,” Peters wrote. “Advancing only nominees from one party and failing to consult with the minority unnecessarily politicizes the Postal Service and undermines its statutory independence.”
Peters warned that confirming only Republican nominees without corresponding Democratic nominations would politicize the Board and undermine public confidence in the Postal Service’s statutory independence. He urged Chairman Paul to delay consideration of the pending nominees until the Trump Administration consults with Senate Democrats and nominates qualified Democratic candidates.
“I urge you to convey the importance of bipartisan representation on the USPS Board of Governors to the White House and ask the President to identify Democratic nominees to the Board in consultation with the Senate Minority Leader,” Peters wrote. “I also ask that you refrain from moving forward with Committee consideration of the current nominations to the Board of Governors until he does so.”
Peters previously joined a letter to President Trump and Majority Leader Thune asking them to work in a bipartisan way with Senate Democrats to advance qualified Democratic nominees to independent boards.
Text of the letter is available here.
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