Postmaster Reveals an Agency Shakeup

DeJoy also says USPS has 'ample capacity' to handle mail voting
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 8, 2020 6:07 AM CDT
Postmaster Weighs In on Mail Voting
A file photo of Louis DeJoy, the new US postmaster.   (Kim Walker/Elon University via AP, File)

The US Postal Service says it lost $2.2 billion in the three months that ended in June as the beleaguered agency—hit hard by the pandemic—piles up financial losses that officials warn could top $20 billion over two years, per the AP. But the new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, disputed reports that his agency is slowing down election mail or any other mail and said it has “ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time” for the November presidential contest. Still, DeJoy offered a gloomy picture of the 630,000-employee agency Friday in his first public remarks since taking the top job in June. "Our financial position is dire, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, a broken business model, and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues,'' DeJoy said. "Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight."

Also on Friday, DeJoy removed two USPS officials in charge of day-to-day mail operations as part of an agency overhaul, reports the Hill. In all, 23 USPS execs were "reassigned or displaced," per the Washington Post. The shakeup comes as Democrats are demanding an investigation into allegations that changes made by DeJoy, including limiting overtime, are causing delivery delays. Lawmakers fear the issue will only grow worse as the election nears. DeJoy also announced a hiring freeze and a request for early retirements. DeJoy, 63, is a major donor to President Trump and the Republican Party, and he is the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who is not a career postal employee.

(More US Postal Service stories.)

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