Spanberger Calls on President to Make USPS Nominations a First-Class Priority

WASHINGTON – In response to constituents complaints over woeful mail service, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., on Wednesday joined an effort urging President Joe Biden to fill existing U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors vacancies as quickly as possible.

According to several recent reports, operational changes currently in the works at the Postal Service could slow mail and reduce service, both while increasing costs for consumers. And this at a time when Spanberger says her office has received hundreds of individual calls and emails from residents of her district who are already concerned about the quality and timeliness of the postal service they are receiving.

In a letter sent to President Biden, Spanberger and 79 of her colleagues urged the president to quickly nominate strong USPS advocates to fill vacancies on the institution’s Board of Governors, which has the power to appoint and dismiss the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General.

“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,” said Spanberger and her colleagues. “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.”

The USPS Board of Governors is comprised of 11 individuals – including nine Governors who are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Three of these appointed seats remain vacant.

The letter Spanberger signed was spearheaded by Reps. Alma Adams, D-N.C., Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va.