“Trump is intent on installing his partisan lackeys in control of the Postal Service while congressional Republicans try to force it into insolvency so they can privatize it.”
Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman has reportedly been forced out of his position, throwing the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service into further chaos as the agency faces a potentially catastrophic financial crisis and efforts by Trump administration officials to impose draconian changes on the nation’s most popular government institution.
The American Prospect‘s David Dayen reported Tuesday that Stroman resigned from his post earlier this week. “Sources indicate that Stroman was forced out,” Dayen tweeted.
Reports of Stroman’s ouster came less than a week after the Uusps Board of Governors announced its selection of Louis DeJoy—a leading donor to the Republican Party and President Donald Trump—to serve as postmaster general as the agency continues to navigate the Covid-19 crisis, which has resulted in a precipitous decline in mail volume. Current USPS chief Megan Brennan, who is retiring effective June 15, has warned Congress that the agency could face financial ruin by the end of September without a rapid infusion of emergency funds.
DeJoy will choose the next deputy postmaster general.
Days before the USPS Board of Governors publicly announced its decision to appoint DeJoy, news broke that David Williams, the vice chair of the board, resigned effective April 30. Dayen, who has been reporting on the Postal Service for years, wrote last week that Williams’ resignation is “distressing” because “nobody is more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the Postal Service than David Williams.”
“He was the longtime Inspector General who wrote the famous (to me, anyway) white paper in 2014 arguing for the return of postal banking,” Dayen wrote. “Worst of all, my sources indicate that this was a resignation in protest.”
Williams was reportedly upset at the Trump Treasury Department’s efforts to use a congressionally approved $10 billion loan to force significant changes to USPS operations. According to the Washington Post, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin “could use the loan as leverage to give the administration influence over how much the agency charges for delivering packages and how it manages its finances.”
“In recent days, the Postal Service’s board has appeared open to some of the Trump administration’s terms,” the Post reported last week.
The 200,000-member American Postal Workers Union accused the Trump administration of exploiting the coronavirus crisis to privatize the agency.
Recent behind-the-scenes machinations at the Postal Service could have immense real-world consequences as the U.S. barrels toward the November elections without a nationwide, universal system in place for mail-in voting, which advocates say is necessary to safely conduct elections amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With Stroman and Williams gone, the USPS Board of Governors, which sets policy for the agency, is now almost completely controlled by Trump appointees. Stroman’s departure leaves the board with five members, short of the quorum required to conduct business.
“Stroman was specifically key on elections and vote by mail—this is not a good sign,” tweeted ProPublica‘s Jessica Huseman in response to reports of Stroman’s resignation.
Stephen Wolf of Daily Kos Elections echoed Huseman’s warning, calling turmoil at the Postal Service “an existential threat to voting safely by mail in November.”
“Trump is intent on installing his partisan lackeys in control of the Postal Service,” said Wolf, “while congressional Republicans try to force it into insolvency so they can privatize it.”
Draconian organization + changes = draconian changes
The union and management are both the biggest problems the post office has, I just retired after 31 years and the last seven was 12 hr days 6 or 7 days a week because management was to lazy to schedule properly , the union on the other hand spends all its time and energy protecting poor employees that should be fired. its a no win situation get out if you can. The social security supplement doubles your annuity take it while you can before its gone. Best thing I ever did.
The use of voting by mail is something in need for the November vote. I know nothing
about the internal problems at the leadership level. The fact that change is in the
process is a forgone conclusion.
A bailout is not how to fix the Postal Service! That only extends the bleeding!
Some new blood at the top may be a good thing, new ideas, new ways of doing our job. It is pretty obvious that the old way of doing things is not working, if it were, we would not be in the shape we are in today!
I do think the postal banking could be a good revenue producer along with a good service to the nation.
Give the new leaders a chance before condemning them.
It’s great that this incompent individual is stepping down! The new Postmaster general with clean house and get rid of the dead weigh that has been destroying the postal service for years! For the record I have been working for the Postal Service for years and seen the mismanagement andbad decisions that these higher ups make!
Hey Fred? Do your job stop kissing the ass of Trumps twits and
stand up for the people that pay your millions.
Our “great doesn’t want citizens to vote. He , and his conservatives love the concept of a dictator. just look what the conservative supreme Court did on voting in Wisconsin. Now our “great leader can appoint Bernie Madoff. to help privatize the Postal service. Destroy the unions, eliminate health care, retirement and employment protections. The employees that are not laid off will be happy just to be given a gun.
You need to make up your mind. Out of one side of your mouth you call people gun-huggers. Now you advocate for Postal employees to be given guns.
THE END IS NEAR. TRUMPIE BEAR IS LURKING. GET OUT WHILE
YOU CAN.