May 18, 2021

Duckworth Discusses Postal Service Leadership with President Biden’s Selections for Postal Board of Governors

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met virtually with President Biden’s three selections for vacancies on the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors—Ronald Stroman, Anton Hajjar and Amber McReynolds—to discuss restoring USPS service standards and rebuilding public trust in a critical federal agency that is enshrined in the Constitution. McReynolds is originally from Kewanee, Illinois, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Stroman and McReynolds were confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week, and Hajjar’s nomination is expected to be considered by the Senate in the coming weeks.

“I’ve made it clear—we need fresh leadership at our Postal Service, especially in the wake of Trump’s antagonism toward the agency and Postmaster General DeJoy’s disastrous rollout of mail changes last year,” Duckworth said. “I’m glad President Biden nominated three eminently qualified individuals to the Board of Governors, and I’m pleased they agreed to commit to a thorough review of the USPS’s current plans and leadership as they enter this position. My constituents are outraged that Trump and his cronies significantly damaged the Postal Service’s reputation and performance. I hope that with new leadership on the Board, we can begin working to build back a better Postal Service that once again is trusted by Veterans, small businesses and all Americans that depend on this service to connect them with families, communities and vital services throughout the nation and across the world.”

Duckworth is a vocal critic of Louis DeJoy’s leadership as Postmaster General on the Board of Governors. In February 2021, Duckworth called on President Biden to replace the entire USPS Board of Governors as a first step in restoring public confidence in the Postal Service. In August of last year, Duckworth and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) convened a call with USPS and Illinois State Board of Elections leaders to discuss how constituents in Illinois can safely participate in the upcoming general election amid concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and USPS policies and practices that may impact mail-in ballot delivery. Shortly after that call, Duckworth and Durbin urged USPS to prioritize election mail ahead of the November general election.

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