The New York Times reports: “President Biden on Friday nominated two new members to the U.S. Postal Service’s board of governors, a move that could jeopardize Louis DeJoy’s position as postmaster general. Mr. Biden nominated Daniel M. Tangherlini, a former administrator of the General Services Administration during the Obama administration, and Derek Kan, a Republican business executive and former deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration, to serve on the board.”
CHRISTOPHER W. SHAW, christophershaw.ca@
Shaw is author of the book First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat. Last year he wrote the piece “The U.S. Postal Service Was Designed to Serve Democracy” for Foreign Affairs.
He said today: “The Biden administration’s unexpected decision to replace two members of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors registers the deep public concern that has developed about the current state and future of the agency under the leadership of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. DeJoy’s service cuts prior to the 2020 election prompted federal judges to take unprecedented steps to monitor the agency’s operations. Shortly thereafter, in the weeks before the holidays, patrons experienced major delays in delivery times that extended well into 2021. In October 2021, DeJoy implemented changes in delivery standards for first-class mail that slowed down delivery throughout the nation on a permanent basis. DeJoy has since warned against ‘unrealistic expectations from the users of the system.’ Millions of Americans expect a first-class Postal Service today and in the future, and these new nominations to the Board of Governors provide an opportunity to get the agency back on track by rejecting this service-slashing agenda and affirming its essential public service mission.”
