Latest news with #postmastergeneral
CNN
09-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
FedEx board member David Steiner to be next US postmaster general
The US Postal Service Board of Governors announced Friday that David Steiner, a board member at FedEx, will be the next postmaster general – a move that comes amid concerns the Trump administration will push for privatization of the independent government agency. Steiner, who also served in leadership roles at Waste Management, will now oversee a mail delivery service that employs 635,000 workers. In a statement Friday, he said he is committed to maintaining the USPS's independence. 'I deeply admire the public service and business mission of this amazing institution, and I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch,' Steiner said. Steiner's appointment comes after his predecessor, Louis DeJoy, abruptly resigned in late March, a month after he told the board to begin looking for his successor. DeJoy served in the top role for five years, helming the agency through the pandemic, financial losses and elections that saw surges in mail-ballots. In response to reports earlier this week that Steiner could be named the next postmaster general, Rep. Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, warned that Steiner's appointment would be a 'blatant conflict of interest and an attempt by President Trump to install a handpicked loyalist.' Following the board's announcement, Connolly and Government Operations Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Kweisi Mfume said the panel 'will be keeping a very close eye on the actions of the new Postmaster.' 'The American people deserve and expect an independent, fair, and accessible Postal Service that operates without prejudice or political influence,' the Democrats said in a statement. 'It is our sincere hope that as Postmaster General, Mr. Steiner will put the interests of the American people and the U.S. Postal Service ahead of any whims or demands of an Administration that has failed to respect the independence of this trusted institution and has instead worked to undermine and privatize America's mail service.' Steiner, who said he is looking 'forward to engaging with' unions, is already facing pushback. The National Association of Letter Carriers, a union that represents mail carriers, said earlier this week that Steiner's selection would be a conflict of interest given his role at FedEx, one of USPS' competitors. 'His selection isn't just a conflict of interest—it's an aggressive step toward handing America's mail system over to corporate interests,' NALC President Brian Renfroe said in a statement Tuesday. 'Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner's selection is an open invitation to do just that.' Steiner will step down from FedEx's Board of Directors, USPS said in its announcement. The former executive is expected to formally join the independent agency in July. President Donald Trump has called for major changes to USPS, which is already several years into a reorganization effort. He has floated plans to give Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick oversight of the agency, which is currently overseen by its board of governors, not a Cabinet secretary. The president has also suggested a 'merger.' 'Well, we want to have a post office that works well and doesn't lose massive amounts of money, and we're thinking about doing that, and it will be a form of a merger,' Trump said at Lutnick's swearing-in ceremony in February. 'It'll remain the Postal Service, and I think it'll operate a lot better than it has been over the years.' The move could be a first step towards privatization – a change tech billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk called for in March. Before DeJoy departed the agency, he made an agreement with the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to work with the USPS, focusing on retirement assets and the Workers' Compensation Program. In a letter sent in March to Congress announcing the agency's collaboration with DOGE, DeJoy also previewed plans to slash 10,000 employees through a voluntary early retirement program – adding to the roughly 30,000 employees who were cut from the agency since 2021.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
FedEx board member David Steiner to be next US postmaster general
The US Postal Service Board of Governors announced Friday that David Steiner, a board member at FedEx, will be the next postmaster general – a move that comes amid concerns the Trump administration will push for privatization of the independent government agency. Steiner, who also served in leadership roles at Waste Management, will now oversee a mail delivery service that employs 635,000 workers. In a statement Friday, he said he is committed to maintaining the USPS's independence. 'I deeply admire the public service and business mission of this amazing institution, and I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch,' Steiner said. Steiner's appointment comes after his predecessor, Louis DeJoy, abruptly resigned in late March, a month after he told the board to begin looking for his successor. DeJoy served in the top role for five years, helming the agency through the pandemic, financial losses and elections that saw surges in mail-ballots. In response to reports earlier this week that Steiner could be named the next postmaster general, Rep. Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, warned that Steiner's appointment would be a 'blatant conflict of interest and an attempt by President Trump to install a handpicked loyalist.' Following the board's announcement, Connolly and Government Operations Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Kweisi Mfume said the panel 'will be keeping a very close eye on the actions of the new Postmaster.' 'The American people deserve and expect an independent, fair, and accessible Postal Service that operates without prejudice or political influence,' the Democrats said in a statement. 'It is our sincere hope that as Postmaster General, Mr. Steiner will put the interests of the American people and the U.S. Postal Service ahead of any whims or demands of an Administration that has failed to respect the independence of this trusted institution and has instead worked to undermine and privatize America's mail service.' Steiner, who said he is looking 'forward to engaging with' unions, is already facing pushback. The National Association of Letter Carriers, a union that represents mail carriers, said earlier this week that Steiner's selection would be a conflict of interest given his role at FedEx, one of USPS' competitors. 'His selection isn't just a conflict of interest—it's an aggressive step toward handing America's mail system over to corporate interests,' NALC President Brian Renfroe said in a statement Tuesday. 'Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner's selection is an open invitation to do just that.' Steiner will step down from FedEx's Board of Directors, USPS said in its announcement. The former executive is expected to formally join the independent agency in July. President Donald Trump has called for major changes to USPS, which is already several years into a reorganization effort. He has floated plans to give Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick oversight of the agency, which is currently overseen by its board of governors, not a Cabinet secretary. The president has also suggested a 'merger.' 'Well, we want to have a post office that works well and doesn't lose massive amounts of money, and we're thinking about doing that, and it will be a form of a merger,' Trump said at Lutnick's swearing-in ceremony in February. 'It'll remain the Postal Service, and I think it'll operate a lot better than it has been over the years.' The move could be a first step towards privatization – a change tech billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk called for in March. Before DeJoy departed the agency, he made an agreement with the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to work with the USPS, focusing on retirement assets and the Workers' Compensation Program. In a letter sent in March to Congress announcing the agency's collaboration with DOGE, DeJoy also previewed plans to slash 10,000 employees through a voluntary early retirement program – adding to the roughly 30,000 employees who were cut from the agency since 2021.
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Postal Service Selects FedEx Board Member as Next Postmaster General
Postal Service leaders on Friday selected David Steiner, a member of FedEx's board, to be the country's next postmaster general, a choice that critics fear could expedite the Trump administration's push to privatize the independent agency. Mr. Steiner, who also served as president and chief executive of Waste Management Inc., is set to take over the post office as it grapples with uncertainty over its future and loses billions of dollars annually. He is expected to start in July after clearing background and ethics checks, agency officials said on Friday. 'I deeply admire the public service and business mission of this amazing institution, and I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch,' Mr. Steiner said in a statement. 'I am excited by the challenges ahead and by the many opportunities to shape a vibrant, durable and increasingly competitive future for the Postal Service.' Some Democratic lawmakers and union leaders expressed deep concern over Mr. Steiner's appointment because of his connection to a direct competitor of the Postal Service. Although the postmaster general is selected by the agency's board and not the White House, President Trump has said that he would consider a major reorganization of the agency in an attempt to reverse its financial fortunes. In February, Mr. Trump said his administration would look at a 'form of a merger,' and that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would help lead the initiative. Many Democratic lawmakers and union leaders saw the effort as a way for the administration to take control of the agency and try to sell off or outsource major aspects of its services to private companies. Doing so would disproportionately affect rural areas, they said, where it is less profitable for private companies to deliver mail. 'The Trump administration has been relentless in its attempts to privatize America's most trusted institution both outwardly and behind the scenes,' Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement. 'It is a blatant conflict of interest.' Mark Dimondstein, the president of the American Postal Workers Union, said the board's selection was troubling because it could lead to the privatization of the agency, which he thought could result in worse service in rural areas and higher prices for customers. 'It begs the question of whether this is a post office that is going to be run for the good of the people of the country,' Mr. Dimondstein said, 'or whether it's going to be a post office that serves private corporations like FedEx.' Postal Service leaders said that Mr. Steiner was the right person to lead the agency because he carried out 'tremendous change' and delivered strong financial results while leading Waste Management for 12 years. Mr. Steiner will leave the board of FedEx before joining the Postal Service, agency officials said. "Our board looks forward to working with Dave as he takes on the core mandates of providing universal and excellent service for the American public and doing so in a financially sustainable manner,' Amber McReynolds, the chairwoman of the Postal Service's board of governors, said in a statement. Mr. Steiner's appointment comes after Louis DeJoy, a former logistics executive and Republican donor, stepped down as postmaster general in late March. Mr. DeJoy, who served in the role for nearly five years, had been overseeing a 10-year plan to overhaul the agency and guide it out of a financial crisis. But the agency has continued to lose money, which postal leaders have attributed to high inflation, increased labor costs and steep pension expenses. In the second quarter of this fiscal year, the Postal Service lost $3.3 billion, the agency said, up from $1.5 billion for the same quarter last year. The agency is supposed to be self-sustaining, and generally does not receive taxpayer money for operating expenses, instead relying on revenue from its sales. Union leaders have expressed optimism that the plan could still yield more positive results in the coming years, but they have also voiced concerns over the agency's service decline. In the 2024 fiscal year, 81 percent of single-piece first-class letters and postcards were delivered on time. That was down from 88 percent the year before, and under the agency's target of 92 percent, according to Postal Service data. FedEx leaders praised Mr. Steiner's selection and said the agency should be 'held accountable to the same rules as private sector companies.' 'David is an outstanding executive who has served on the FedEx board of directors since 2009 and as the lead independent director since 2013,' Frederick W. Smith, the founder and executive chairman of FedEx, said in a statement. 'While we will miss him on the FedEx board of directors, he is stepping into the postmaster general role at a critical time. The U.S.P.S. must be reformed to improve service.'
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
FedEx board member David Steiner selected as next USPS postmaster general
David Steiner, a former CEO of the nation's largest waste management company who currently serves on the FedEx board of directors, is poised to take over control of the U.S. Postal Service, becoming the nation's 76th postmaster general. The announcement of Steiner's appointment, which drew immediate concerns from postal unions over possible efforts to privatize the USPS, was made Friday by Amber McReynolds, chairperson of the USPS' Board of Governors, during a meeting of the independent group that oversees the service. "We anticipate that Mr. Steiner will join the organization in July, assuming his successful completion of the ethics and security clearance processes that are currently underway," McReynolds said. Friday's announcement by the the Board of Governors comes as President Trump and his adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have raised the idea of privatizing the nearly 250-year-old Postal Service, which has faced financial challenges amid a changing mail mix and other issues. The choice of Steiner has been seen by the postal unions as a harbinger for possible privatization of some or all of the venerable quasi-public institution, which is largely self-funded and has a mission to serve every address in the country — nearly 167 million residences, businesses and post office boxes. Postal unions have held protests throughout the country over potential privatization, job cuts and possibly ending the universal service obligation. Brian L. Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said Steiner is not just any executive from the private sector but someone who sits on the board of one of the Postal Service's top competitors. "His selection isn't just a conflict of interest — it's an aggressive step toward handing America's mail system over to corporate interests," Renfroe said in a statement. "Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner's selection is an open invitation to do just that." Renfroe's union represents 205,000 active city letter carriers and around 90,000 retirees. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 220,000 USPS employees and retirees, likened the appointment of Steiner to a fox guarding a hen house. "FedEx has a very different agenda than the public postal service. And they're a major competitor of the United States Postal Service," he said. "I'm not talking about any attributes of an individual, but to me, that's the last type of person you will put in charge of the public institution as the anchor of the mailing package industry in the country." Steiner, who will leave the FedEx board, said in a written statement that he admires the public service mission of the USPS and called it "an incredible honor to be asked to lead the world's greatest postal organization." "I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch," said Steiner, who served as CEO of Waste Management Inc. from 2004 through October 2016. In a written statement, McReynolds called Steiner "the right person to lead the Postal Service at this time to ensure this magnificent and historic organization thrives into the future." "Dave is a highly regarded leader and executive with tremendous vision, experience and skill that can be applied to the long-term mission and business needs of the Postal Service," she added. "Our Board looks forward to working with Dave as he takes on the core mandates of providing universal and excellent service for the American public and doing so in a financially sustainable manner." The Postal Service is in the midst of a 10-year modernization and cost-cutting plan that began in 2021 under Postmaster Louis DeJoy, who resigned in March. The plan is an attempt to stop losses at the agency, which has a budget of about $78 billion a year and is mostly self-funded, including through stamps and packages. Known as "Deliver for America," the initiative has received markedly mixed reviews. While postal officials contend it has led to major efficiency improvements, some members of Congress have criticized it for leading to mail delays, unsustainable postage increases and declines in business. Besides privatization, there's also been talk of possibly moving the USPS under the control of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The choice of Steiner was first reported by The Washington Post.
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
FedEx board member Steiner is picked to be next USPS postmaster general amid talk of privatization
David Steiner, a former CEO of the nation's largest waste management company who currently serves on the FedEx board of directors, is poised to take over control of the U.S. Postal Service, becoming the nation's 76th postmaster general. The announcement of Steiner's appointment, which drew immediate concerns from postal unions over possible efforts to privatize the USPS, was made Friday by Amber McReynolds, chairperson of the USPS' Board of Governors, during a meeting of the independent group that oversees the service. 'We anticipate that Mr. Steiner will join the organization in July, assuming his successful completion of the ethics and security clearance processes that are currently underway,' McReynolds said. Friday's announcement by the the Board of Governors comes as President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have raised the idea of privatizing the nearly 250-year-old Postal Service, which has faced financial challenges amid a changing mail mix and other issues. The choice of Steiner has been seen by the postal unions as a harbinger for possible privatization of some or all of the venerable quasi-public institution, which is largely self-funded and has a mission to serve every address in the country — nearly 167 million residences, businesses and post office boxes. Postal unions have held protests throughout the country over potential privatization, job cuts and possibly ending the universal service obligation. Brian L. Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said Steiner is not just any executive from the private sector but someone who sits on the board of one of the Postal Service's top competitors. 'His selection isn't just a conflict of interest — it's an aggressive step toward handing America's mail system over to corporate interests,' Renfroe said in a statement. 'Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner's selection is an open invitation to do just that.' Renfroe's union represents 205,000 active city letter carriers and around 90,000 retirees. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 220,000 USPS employees and retirees, likened the appointment of Steiner to a fox guarding a hen house. 'FedEx has a very different agenda than the public postal service. And they're a major competitor of the United States Postal Service,' he said. 'I'm not talking about any attributes of an individual, but to me, that's the last type of person you will put in charge of the public institution as the anchor of the mailing package industry in the country.' Steiner, who will leave the FedEx board, said in a written statement that he admires the public service mission of the USPS and called it 'an incredible honor to be asked to lead the world's greatest postal organization.' 'I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch,' said Steiner, who served as CEO of Waste Management Inc. from 2004 through October 2016. In a written statement, McReynolds called Steiner "the right person to lead the Postal Service at this time to ensure this magnificent and historic organization thrives into the future.' ' Dave is a highly regarded leader and executive with tremendous vision, experience and skill that can be applied to the long-term mission and business needs of the Postal Service," she added. "Our Board looks forward to working with Dave as he takes on the core mandates of providing universal and excellent service for the American public and doing so in a financially sustainable manner.' The Postal Service is in the midst of a 10-year modernization and cost-cutting plan that began in 2021 under Postmaster Louis DeJoy, who resigned in March. The plan is an attempt to stop losses at the agency, which has a budget of about $78 billion a year and is mostly self-funded, including through stamps and packages. Known as 'Deliver for America,' the initiative has received markedly mixed reviews. While postal officials contend it has led to major efficiency improvements, some members of Congress have criticized it for leading to mail delays, unsustainable postage increases and declines in business. Besides privatization, there's also been talk of possibly moving the USPS under the control of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The choice of Steiner was first reported by The Washington Post.
