WASHINGTON (AP) — Louis DeJoy, the Chief of the United States Postal Service, has signaled his intention to step down, the federal agency announced on Tuesday, capping a nearly five-year tenure that saw him at the helm during significant events such as the coronavirus pandemic, spikes in mail-in election ballots, and efforts to counter financial losses through cost-cutting measures and service adjustments.
In a letter dated Monday, Postmaster General DeJoy formally requested the Postal Service Board of Governors to initiate the search for his successor. “As you are aware, I have devoted tireless efforts to steer the 640,000-strong workforce of the Postal Service towards achieving an extraordinary transformation,” he expressed. “We have dutifully served the American people amidst an unparalleled pandemic and through times of substantial inflation and sensationalized political climate.”
Assuming leadership of the postal service in the summer of 2020 during the first term of President Donald Trump, DeJoy, a former Republican donor and owner of a logistics firm, became the first postmaster general in nearly two decades with no prior career experience in the postal service.
Implementing a comprehensive 10-year strategy aimed at modernizing operations and stemming financial losses, DeJoy had previously warned postal customers to brace for “uncomfortable” rate increases as part of the service’s efforts to stabilize its financial standing and achieve greater self-sufficiency.
The strategic plan focuses on enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the mail delivery system by consolidating mail processing facilities. However, critics, including lawmakers from various states, have raised concerns that the initial consolidations led to service slowdowns and that further consolidations could disproportionately impact rural mail services.
DeJoy refuted these claims, asserting during a contentious hearing before a U.S. House subcommittee in September that the Postal Service had initiated essential upgrades in outdated facilities and other operational changes to establish “a Postal Service for the future” that ensures swift mail delivery.
During his tenure, DeJoy also steered the postal service through two presidential elections characterized by sharp increases in mail-in ballots. Prior to the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge intervened to restrict one of the postal service’s cost-cutting measures, citing its role in causing delays in mail delivery. DeJoy had curtailed overtime payments for postal workers and ceased the longstanding practice of accommodating late and additional truck deliveries in the summer of 2020, which, while cutting costs, resulted in some mail being left behind for subsequent delivery.
In his letter, DeJoy emphasized his commitment to assisting in facilitating a smooth transition to his successor, underscoring his dedication to ensuring the continuity of the Postal Service’s operations and services.
