The United States Postal Service announced on Tuesday that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to begin the process of stepping down from his position after five years in office, a tenure that was plagued with criticism from several prominent Georgia politicians.
DeJoy said his decision was about shaping the next phase of his life.
“While there remains much critical work to be done to ensure that the Postal Service can be financially viable as we continue to serve the nation in our essential public service mission, I have decided it is time to start the process of identifying my successor and of preparing the Postal Service for this change,” he said in a press release.
“The major initiatives we are currently endeavoring are multi-year programs and it is important to have leadership in place whose tenure will span this future period,” he added.
DeJoy said while he led the USPS during a period of “dramatic change during unusual times,” he has hope for the agency’s future.
“I will be flexible in helping with this transition, and I am confident that with a period of dedicated focus preparing for this change, the Postal Service will be well positioned for future success under the new leadership,” he said.
After taking over the USPS in 2020, DeJoy and his team developed a 10-year plan the following year meant to groom the agency for “financial sustainability and operational high performance.” USPS claims that the plan transformed efficiency in mail and package delivery and that the agency has seen “top-to-bottom organizational transformation.”
But politicians from both sides of the aisle have criticized DeJoy for service delays and other shortcomings.
In March 2024, Georgia Democratic U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, as well as Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, published an open letter to DeJoy concerning a string of crimes documented at a Marietta post office that seemingly went uninvestigated by the agency, including mail theft, forgery, document fraud and check washing.
In May of that year, Ossoff spoke about Georgia mail issues while standing outside of a USPS Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto. Later that year he proposed the Postmaster General Reform Act, which would allow the U.S. Senate to confirm a president’s appointment to the role.
“The execution debacle by the U.S. Postal Service in Georgia has been a failure of leadership and a failure of management, and it has reflected the incompetent leadership and the incompetent management of the postmaster general himself,” Ossoff said at a news conference at the time.
“This is about whether seniors are receiving their medication in the mail … this is about whether citizens are receiving vital notices from the court — notices to appear, notices of eviction. This is about whether small businesses can function,” he added.
Last month, Ossoff launched an inquiry demanding that DeJoy’s USPS deliver prescriptions, medications and VA appointment notices to Georgia veterans promptly after receiving complaints from former servicemembers who experienced otherwise.
After DeJoy’s announcement on Tuesday, Ossoff released a statement urging the USPS Board of Governors to find a replacement that would “swiftly restore normal service that Georgia families and businesses can rely on.”
“USPS leadership has failed Georgia for over a year, leading to abysmal on-time performance and hardship for families, businesses, seniors, and veterans. That’s why I’ve led aggressive oversight to demand better performance and prevent disastrous delays across our state,” he said. “And I will continue to hold them accountable.”
