Postmaster General to Lawmakers: 'Get Used to Me'

Louis DeJoy says he's not a 'Trump holdover'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2021 3:40 PM CST
Postmaster General to Lawmakers: 'Get Used to Me'
United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy looks on during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on "Legislative Proposals to Put the Postal Service on Sustainable Financial Footing" on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.   (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)

President Biden can't directly fire Postmaster General Louis DeJoy—and DeJoy certainly knows it. During a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing Wednesday, DeJoy corrected a Democratic lawmaker who described him as a "Trump holdover," Politico reports. "I'm not a political appointee," he said. "I'd really appreciate if you’d get that straight. When Rep. Jim Cooper asked DeJoy how long he planned to remain in the role, he said, "A long time. Get used to me." DeJoy, a Trump ally and major Republican donor, was appointed by the United States Postal Service's GOP-dominated board last year and has been heavily criticized over moves that significantly slowed down service. His opponents have urged Biden to end his tenure by filling three vacant slots on the nine-person board, or by just replacing the entire panel.

Biden hasn't said whether he will try to get rid of DeJoy, though White House spokesman Michael Gwin tells CNN that the president "is working as quickly as possible to fill board vacancies so the USPS can effectively fulfil its vital mission for the country, and live up to the commitments made to its workers." During Wednesday's hearing, DeJoy acknowledged that there had been "unacceptable" delays but said there had been major issues before he arrived. "You can sit here and think that I'm bringing all this damage to the Postal Service," he said. "But as I said earlier, the place was operationally faulty because of a lack of investment and lack of ability to move forward, which is what we're trying to do." DeJoy, who said the USPS was in a financial "death spiral," told lawmakers he would release a long-term plan next month. (More Louis DeJoy stories.)

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