The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service is comprised of 11 individuals, including nine governors who are nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Two of the appointed seats remain vacant, and only one nomination has been made by President Joe Biden. Particularly amid ongoing delays and disruptions originating from the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) that opened in Sandston, Virginia as part of Postmaster General DeJoy’s “Delivering for America Plan,” a fully staffed Board of Governors is vital to the execution of its responsibilities and its members’ oversight of the Postmaster General.
U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger pressed President Joe Biden to swiftly nominate a member to fill the second vacancy. After filling the vacancy, the board may consider Postmaster General DeJoy’s fitness for his role and be prepared to vote on changes in leadership, if necessary. Spanberger underscored the detrimental impacts DeJoy’s consolidation at the Richmond RPDC has had on mail service for Virginians across Virginia’s Seventh District and across the Commonwealth.
“Notably, the Board of Governors is the sole entity that holds the crucial responsibility and authority to elect — and when necessary, to remove — the Postmaster General. Under the tenure of the current Postmaster General, the American people have seen our most beloved federal agency grossly mismanaged, undermined, and nearly destroyed. Virginians have suffered some of the worst consequences of Postmaster General DeJoy’s detrimental policy changes in the past year,” Spanberger wrote. “In July 2023, the first Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) site in the nation began operating in Richmond, Virginia as a result of DeJoy’s new consolidation project under his 10-year Delivering for America Plan. The destructive consequences of this problematic model became immediately evident — with Virginia becoming the worst state in the nation for mail delivery following RPDC consolidation.”
Spanberger has exercised the tools of oversight in Congress as Virginia’s representative for District 7 and conveyed concerns and experiences to the Postmaster General requesting corrective action.
“He has failed to do so, and the issues are only getting worse, not better. Since January of this year, you have had the opportunity to fill two open vacancies on the Postal Board of Governors. Without further delay, I urge you to nominate a qualified, responsible individual to fill the final remaining vacancy on the board — a process which only the President can initiate.”
In April 2024, following the release of the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG)’s audit report assessing the effectiveness and operational impacts of the new Richmond RPDC and subsequent relaunch of her USPS survey, Spanberger received more than 1,800 responses from seniors, families, small business owners, and Veterans across Virginia detailing significant delays in deliveries and shipments of medications, bills, tax documents, checks, letters to family, and more.
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Rebecca Barnabi
