On June 16, 2020, President Donald Trump appointed Louis DeJoy, a top GOP donor and member of the Republican National Committee finance team, to the role of US Postmaster General. After five years in the role, DeJoy announced his resignation. Today, we’re talking about his contributions to the Postal Service, wins and losses, and what his resignation may mean for the future of USPS and its customers.

What happened to USPS under DeJoy’s leadership?

When DeJoy was first appointed, the federal agency was experiencing a host of pandemic-related problems. The stay-at-home orders fueled a significant surge in mail-in ballots over the course of the past two elections— the handling of which drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

In 2021, DeJoy announced a 10-year plan to restructure, modernize, and cut costs. Despite efforts to reduce expenses and introduce new money-making ventures, like its new Next Day priority service, USPS announced a loss of $10 billion for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024. Things aren’t headed in a great direction— the loss for the year prior was $6.5 billion and the agency has lost more than $100 billion since 2007.

What’s next for USPS?

In a letter asking the Postal Service Board of Governors to start looking for his successor, DeJoy says, "As you know, I have worked tirelessly to lead the 640,000 men and women of the Postal Service in accomplishing an extraordinary transformation." He continues, "We have served the American people through an unprecedented pandemic and through a period of high inflation and sensationalized politics."

An opinion piece published by MSNBC in December 2024 posits, “Donald Trump has never liked the U.S. Postal Service. ... His first term featured frequent griping, efforts to undermine its work and threats to its funding. Now, as he prepares to begin his second term, Trump is thinking about privatizing the post office altogether.”

Trump’s aspirations are in direct conflict of Title 39 of the US Code, which states, “The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.”

What does this mean for businesses that rely on USPS?

As of this moment, we do not know the date of DeJoy’s last day on the job— only that he says he plans to be as "as helpful as possible in facilitating a transition."

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