The Boston Globe ripped Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in an editorial Thursday following his testimony on Capitol Hill, calling for his resignation and blaming him for a host of problems that have plagued the Postal Service in recent months.

The Globe’s editors pointed to operational changes pursued by DeJoy, describing the changes as “responsible for delays in mail delivery around the nation.”

The Editorial Board wrote:

Given that unfortunate reality in an election that will probably have more mail-in ballots than any other national election in the country’s history, it has become clear that Louis DeJoy, in his role as Postmaster General, has only further undermined public confidence in American democracy. In his short tenure, he has proved himself unfit to serve as USPS chief, and he must resign immediately.

At his congressional testimony on Monday, DeJoy may well have lied under oath, stating that he did not put a limit on overtime pay. Various reports from news outlets as well as the postal workers union say otherwise. This is simply not the kind of leadership the Postal Service or the American people deserve.

Facing Democrat and media outcry, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is testifying Friday morning about alleged “disruptions in mail delivery” as a Senate committee digs into changes in postal operations. President Trump praises the new head of the Postal Service, but Democrats warn DeJoy’s cost-cutting initiatives since arriving in June are causing an upheaval that threatens the election. The same Democrats that are pushing for a mail-in election, they say, because of the coronavirus.

DeJoy in testimony to Congress said politics weren’t involved in the decisions, and that the cost-cutting measures were aimed at helping a Postal Service drowning in red ink.

 

The Globe’s editorial board wrote that since DeJoy has taken over the post office, the agency has curtailed overtime pay, removed over 600 mail sorting machines, and either locked up or taken out letter collection boxes.

DeJoy said Friday he had “no idea” blue mailboxes and sorting machines were being removed until a public uproar nationwide. “I was made aware when everyone else was made aware,” DeJoy testified.

Activists have been harassing the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is a Trump donor, but he does have a long career in logistics and operations, which is the key area of expertise needed for managing the expansive, complex network of our mailing system. The Postmaster General is chosen by the Board of Governors at the USPS, so this was not President Trump’s choice alone:

“The Governors reviewed the records of more than two hundred candidates for the position before narrowing the list to more than fifty candidates to undergo substantial vetting. Subsequently, the Governors interviewed more than a dozen candidates in first-round interviews and invited seven candidates for follow-up interviews. A narrow list of finalists then underwent a final vetting process before the Governors made their decision.”

The truth is that the USPS has been in terrible financial shape for years and it is consistently losing money. Democrats want to bail out the post office but Republicans want much-needed reform.

The Treasury Department has offered the USPS a $10 billion loan. That loan does come with some strings attached for reforms,  but it’s not needed for immediate operation. The USPS is in debt for $69 billion, as previously reported by 100% FED Up.

President Trump did say he opposes the bailout of the USPS and cited his opposition to mail-in voting. This has been used to suggest he is using the USPS to undermine the election. However, there is no immediate funding issue that would hinder the USPS from supporting the election.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.