The tenure of the U.S. Postal Service’s newest board members got off to a tense start on Friday as President Biden’s appointees voiced their displeasure with the agency’s direction and USPS’ leader stated he will still move forward with reforms.
The disagreements surrounded Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s plan to slow down deliveries for some mail and packages, a key element of the embattled leader’s 10-year blueprint to improve USPS’ service and financial footing. It was the first meeting with a full slate of governors on the postal board in more than a decade, after Biden nominated and the Senate confirmed individuals for the final three slots in recent months.
Ronald Stroman, the former deputy postmaster general and one of Biden’s nominees, took the most aggressive approach in criticizing DeJoy’s plan, saying the delivery slowdowns would hinder the agency’s ability to provide prompt and reliable service without federal funding. He said the plan is “strategically-ill conceived, creates dangerous risks that are not justified by the relatively low financial return, and doesn’t meet our responsibility as an essential part of America’s critical infrastructure.” USPS expects to save about $170 million annually from the changes, a small fraction of its operating budget.