‘No Excuses Left For Inaction’: Sen. Duckworth Asks USPS Board To Fire DeJoy ‘For Cause’
Source: Forbes
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Thursday called on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors to fire Postmaster General Louis DeJoy “for cause” over his “pathetic” 10-year strategic plan, the latest sign that Democrats are dead-set on dislodging the Trump appointee from his post.
Key Facts
In a letter to the board of governors, which currently has a 4-2 Republican majority, Duckworth said the plan demonstrates that DeJoy is a “clear and present threat to the future of the Postal Service” and the “well-being of millions of Americans.”
The plan, released on Tuesday, aims to modernize the USPS and make it more financially viable but could modify post office hours and slow down mail delivery, leading to it being maligned by Democratic lawmakers.
Duckworth, who has also called for the entire board to be replaced, didn’t pull punches in her letter, slamming them for their “disastrous personnel choice” in DeJoy, whose “devastating consequences” she called a “sunk cost that cannot be undone.”
Duckworth added that the board's failure to remove DeJoy would confirm her “worst fears about each member of the board,” specifying that they are “unwilling to admit error and thus incapable of fixing a grave mistake.”
But even without the Republican majority, the board would be unlikely to remove DeJoy over the plan, which Chairman Ron Bloom, a Democrat, defended at a press briefing by urging people to “not make the perfect the enemy of the good.”
Big Number
53. That’s how many House Democrats signed a letter to President Joe Biden earlier this month urging him to fire all six current board members over “gross negligence” and replace them with new nominees. Although Biden has nominated several replacements for board members whose terms have expired, he’s given no indication he’s willing to go that far.
Crucial Quote
“There are no excuses left for inaction,” Duckworth said, calling for DeJoy to be removed “immediately. Not tomorrow, not next week. You must fire Louis DeJoy now.”
Key Background
DeJoy’s tenure has been marred by service disruptions and delays that ignited an already tense political debate about mail-in voting and led Democrats to accuse him and the Trump administration of intentional sabotage, which DeJoy repeatedly denied. Many of the changes DeJoy made upon assuming his post in May were later rolled back in the face of severe backlash.
What to Watch For
Biden has sent three nominations to the Senate to fill vacancies on the board that would give Democrats and Biden appointees the majority, but it’s not clear if the current Democrats on the board – such as Bloom, who has said the current board members “support” DeJoy – would vote to oust him.
By: Andrew Solender
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