Letter to the Hon. Joe Biden, President of the United States - As Mail Issues Continue in Central Virginia, Spanberger Calls on President Biden to Make USPS Nominations a First-Class Priority

Letter

Dear President Biden,

Thank you for your dedicated efforts to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the American people. Under your leadership, we look forward to helping our country build back better from the hardships brought about by this pandemic. In particular, we believe that the ongoing crisis at the United States Postal Service requires your immediate attention. We respectfully request that you submit nominations for the three vacant positions on the United States Postal Service's Board of Governors to the Senate as expeditiously as possible. Nominating strong, passionate advocates for the institution to these open seats will allow it to function in a more nonpartisan, effective manner.

As you know, the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service functions as its board of directors. The Board comprises 11 individuals, nine of whom are selected by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. As a result of the Trump Administration's failure to fully fill the board, three of those nine seats remain vacant. We strongly believe that filling those three vacancies would enhance the ability of the Board to reach nonpartisan consensus on matters of importance.

The lack of bipartisan consensus is evident in the Board of Governors' selection of Republican Party megadonor Louis DeJoy -- who had no experience working for the Postal Service prior to his appointment -- to succeed Megan Brennan as Postmaster General in June 2020. Since Mr. DeJoy assumed office, he has, under the guise of enacting needed reforms, rapidly transformed the Postal Service to the detriment of Americans. Critically, the on-time delivery of flat mail has plunged drastically1; veterans, who rely almost exclusively on the Postal Service to receive their medications through the VA, have faced life-threatening delays in receiving those parcels; and the public perception pertaining to the integrity of the 2020 general election was threatened by the impact of these delays on the timely delivery of mail-in ballots.

Now more than ever, it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure USPS can maintain its high service standards when Americans -- especially seniors, veterans, and those in rural communities -- are relying on the efficient and timely delivery of bills, parcels, and medication from the Postal Service. We do not doubt that the Postal Service requires some thoughtful reforms in order to continue to provide excellent service to the American people in the years to come; however, there is a plethora of evidence that Postmaster General DeJoy is not equipped to meet the rigors of these challenges. Filling the vacant seats on the Postal Service's Board of Governors with strong, passionate advocates for the institution will allow it to function in a nonpartisan manner, and will allow the Board to seriously consider whether the current Postmaster General is suitable to continue in his role.

We thank you for your consideration of this important request and look forward to working with you as you take decisive steps to secure one of our country's oldest, most cherished, and most valuable public institutions.

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