A Democratic congressman from Illinois is calling for the ouster of US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, citing operational changes that have slowed first-class mail delivery under his watch.
In a letter sent to USPS Board of Governors Chairman Ron Bloom on Wednesday, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi — a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee — pointed to the testimony from USPS employees on the “recent deterioration” of the agency, arguing that the changes made to save costs weren’t thoroughly vetted before their implementation.
“Following a field hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in Chicago, at which USPS employees testified to the recent deterioration of this decades-old institution, I am compelled to express my solemn belief that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy must be immediately removed through a majority vote by the Board of Governors,” he wrote.
“As highlighted during the committee hearing, an October 2020 investigation by the USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that Mr. DeJoy implemented operational changes in the summer of 2020 without first studying their potential impacts. The resulting delivery delays – including an over 10-percentage point drop in on-time delivery for First-Class Single-Piece mail in July 2020 – were ‘directly corresponding to implementation of the operational changes and initiatives.’ ”
Krishnamoorthi noted that the Office of the Inspector General found the Postal Service only met its service performance targets for “three of 33 products in Fiscal Year 2020,” calling the operational shift “recklessly imposed untested, nationwide changes.”
He called for a response from Bloom by Oct. 31., noting the significant role the USPS plays both domestically and internationally.
“The USPS delivers 48 percent of the world’s mail.When our country was founded, the USPS under Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin tied the 13 original colonies together,” Krishnamoorthi said.
“Throughout its history, the USPS has been an essential public service, representing the very best of American excellence and patriotism. But, I fear that reputation is in grave jeopardy.”