President Biden Nominates Three to USPS Board of Governors

As promised, President Biden is wasting no time enacting policies and appointing members of government to his liking. On Wednesday, February 24th, the White House announced that President Biden nominated three individuals to fill the vacant seats on the USPS Board of Governors.

Biden Nominates Ronald Stroman, Amber McReynolds, and Anton Haijar to Open Seats on USPS Board of Governors

The names of the individuals President Biden has nominated are as follows:

• Ronald Stroman
• Amber McReynolds
• Anton Haijar

All three of nominees have worked extensively with the Postal Service throughout their careers. Ronald Stroman, for example, served as Deputy Postmaster General until shortly after Louis DeJoy became Postmaster General in May of 2020. McReynolds is is Chief Operating Officer at the nonprofit Vote at Home Institute, and Anton Hajjar is former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union.

Noticeably, President Biden’s nominations will tilt the board more towards the left of the political aisle. Currently, the six members of the board hold a right-wing majority viewpoint. However, the new three nominees would give the nine-seat panel a Democratic majority. If confirmed, they would gain the potential opportunity to vote out Postmaster General Louis DeJoy from his position.

Biden’s Nominations Seen as a Direct Response to Growing Concerns Over Mail and Package Delays

The timing of when President Biden chose to nominate Stroman, McReynolds, and Haijar is no coincidence. USPS faces the largest backlog in its history, leading to some of the longest mail and package delays the American people have ever seen. For several months now, Democrats have rallied to oust Postmaster DeJoy from his position, citing “deliberate” mail slowdowns as grounds for his removal.

Still, DeJoy has continuously held that he remains committed to leading the Postal Service back to financial health. When asked how long he planned to stick around as Postmaster General during a House hearing on Wednesday, DeJoy answered without hesitation.

“A long time,” he said. “Get used to me.”

Current Lineup of Governors Exhibits Severe Lack of Diversity

With the unique power to appoint the Postmaster General, the Board of Governors ultimately decides whether DeJoy stays or goes. However, this current governing board isn’t without its problems. When one looks at the current lineup of governors, it’s impossible to notice the glaring lack of diversity.

The six current members of the board are all male, and five of them are white. Biden’s nominations, if accepted, would not only place a woman (McReynolds) on the board; it would also include people of color. Stroman is Black, and Hajjar is a legal adviser to the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee.

With a total workforce of nearly 500,000 employees across the country, Biden’s three nominees will unquestionably make the Board of Governors more representative of the people who make up the very organization it leads.