What happened
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stepped down Monday, ending a tumultuous five years as head of the U.S. Postal Service that began with the Covid-19 pandemic and mail-ballot-heavy 2020 election and “ended amid pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration to assert political control over the postal system,” The Washington Post said.
Who said what
DeJoy announced his departure in February but did not set a date. His resignation Monday preempted Trump’s plans to “force him out of the role faster than planned,” The Wall Street Journal said. “Recent tension” over DeJoy’s refusal to give Elon Musk’s DOGE team “broad access to agency systems” and power over policy changes “contributed to the White House’s antipathy,” the Post said. He recently said he would seek DOGE’s help cutting 10,000 workers and billions of dollars.
The departure of DeJoy, a Republican donor and former logistics company owner, leaves the USPS with an “uncertain future,” The Associated Press said. Trump and Musk have “floated the idea of privatizing mail service,” and the president more recently proposed folding the USPS into the Commerce Department.
What next?
“Any change to the Postal Service’s structure would require congressional approval,” the Post said. DeJoy said Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino would take the reins until a permanent successor was appointed.