USPS head Louis DeJoy steps down as Trump officials consider Postal Service overhaul

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is stepping down, the head of the country’s mail service confirmed in a statement on Monday.

Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino is set to head USPS until the Postal Service’s governing board names a successor.

“I believe strongly that the organization is well positioned and capable of carrying forward and fully implementing the many strategies and initiatives that comprise our transformation and modernization,” DeJoy said in the statement released Monday evening that referred to his “intention to retire.”

Last month, he asked the USPS Board of Governors in a letter to start a search for a new postmaster general.

DeJoy’s exit comes after he agreed earlier this month to allow the DOGE team of President Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk to help find “further efficiencies” at USPS.

His controversial term is ending weeks after Trump, speaking at the White House, confirmed that his administration is considering having the Commerce Department take control of what Congress set up to be an independent postal service, which Trump has long criticized for its troubled finances. Legal experts say any attempt to bring USPS under the White House’s control would likely violate the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, which transformed what was known as the Post Office Department, a cabinet-level agency, into “an independent establishment of the executive branch.”

Trump has also signaled support for privatizing the country’s mail service, sparking protests across the country by unions of postal workers in recent weeks.

DeJoy was appointed to lead the Postal Service during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has overseen the rise of voting by mail for two presidential elections. In 2021, DeJoy rolled out a 10-year reorganization plan in an attempt to bring financial stability to the postal system. Critics of the plan, however, say that consolidating mail processing centers and other changes have slowed service, especially in rural communities.

Edited by Padmananda Rama

 

Can this nasal spray slow down Alzheimer’s? One couple is helping scientists find out

Joe Walsh is the first Alzheimer's patient to be treated with an experimental nasal spray designed to reduce inflammation in the brain.

Oil companies face a wrongful death suit tied to climate change

Julie Leon died of hyperthermia in Seattle on June 28, 2021 — the hottest day in the city's history. A lawsuit claims she was a victim of oil companies' "misrepresentations" about climate change.

Are you smarter than a 13-year-old? Take our Scripps Spelling Bee test and find out

If you weren't playing along at home during Thursday night's final, take our mini-Bee quiz, which uses words from the real thing.

Will I get refunds? Small businesses wonder as courts rule on Trump tariffs

Court rulings against President Trump's tariffs could spell relief for many American importers — if the decisions hold. For now, the uncertainty remains.

Elon Musk is leaving the federal government. What’s next for DOGE?

Elon Musk is leaving the Department of Government Efficiency effort. His 130 day tenure was marked by legal setbacks, overstated savings claims and little evidence DOGE made things more efficient.

Federal workers keep America’s farms healthy. What now under Trump?

More than a thousand people who worked to keep American agriculture free of pests and disease have left the federal workforce in President Trump's massive government downsizing.

More Front Page Coverage