President Biden is Doing More for the Postal Service Than any President in U.S. History

     On April 6th, 2022, President Biden signed the Postal Service Reform Act into law, saving the agency an estimated $55 billion and sparing it bankruptcy while codifying six-day-a-week delivery in what represented the largest postal service overhaul in 15 years and only the second in 50. Between January 2021 and May 2022, he appointed Douglas Tulino to be deputy postmaster general and Anton Hajjar, Amber McReynolds, Ron Stroman, Dan Tangherlini, and Derek Kan to be governors on the U.S.P.S. Board, giving it a Democratic majority for the first time since Obama's first term and making it the most diverse it has never been. No longer is the body the "White Boy Billionaires' Club" it was during the Trump era. It is also worth noting that President Biden will have the chance to appoint two more governors before the year in up.

     This is huge news. While the Postal Service Reform Act neutered the changes proposed by Louis DeJoy, the appointment of a Biden-majority U.S.P.S. Board of Governors gives Democrats the power to finally kick out DeJoy, who is under federal investigation for his inappropriate business ties and who flagrantly ignored President Biden's executive order directing the agency to buy electric vehicles. If for no other reason, I would like to see DeJoy fired for a comment he made during his confirmation in 2020 telling Democratic senators to expect him to be postmaster general for a "very long time." The smug, crooked asshole needs to go, and emailing and petitioning the Board of Governors can make it happen and achieve one of the biggest goals set by Democrats during the 2020 election.

     We're continuing to work to restore Democratic majorities on federal agencies: my pet project is finally confirming Gigi Sohn, who will restore net neutrality and who is the one we need if our work to restore the Fairness Doctrine has any chance of succeeding. As part of this effort, we should also seek to restore a Democratic majority to the Postal Regulatory Commission, which sets postal rates. Two of the five board members, both Republicans, are set to have their terms expire in October 2022; under the 1970 law that established this commission, no more than three members can be of the same party. However, when President Biden makes his appointments, he can fill one seat with a Democrat and one with either an independent or a moderate Republican of color, flipping the balance of the Postal Regulatory Commission significantly.

     Once this is achieved, it will allow President Biden to take executive action to solve the other problems America's postal service is facing and set an agenda for the future. President Biden ran on building a better America: Donald Trump posed an unprecedented threat to the U.S.P.S., and President Biden and Congressional Democrats are on track to not only stave off and undo the damage Trump did, but do more for the U.S.P.S. than anyone since Benjamin Franklin.