USPS named David Steiner as its 76th Postmaster General and CEO, pending the outcome of necessary background and ethics checks. (Turns out you can do that Kohl's!)
Steiner will succeed former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who abruptly resigned in March, a month after he told the board to begin looking for his successor, and current Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino, who will return to his permanent position as Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Human Resources Officer.
Steiner is the former CEO of Waste Management, the country's largest trash company, and currently serves on the FedEx board of directors.
The Wall Street Journal shared six facts about Steiner:
- He spearheaded a comeback for Waste Management after some of the company's top executives in the 1990s falsified financial results by streamlining operations, improving financial performance and safety record, and working to improve employee morale.
- He calls himself the “walking embodiment of better-lucky-than-good” because in 2000, when he went to work for Waste Management, he turned down a job offer from Enron to do so.
- He is a director at FedEx, which could pose a conflict of interest. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union said that it is like hiring a “fox to guard the hen house.” However USPS said that Steiner will step down from his role at FedEx.
- Steiner has a big job ahead of him of addressing persistent delays of mail and package deliveries in some parts of the country and fixing the issue of USPS hemorrhaging money in recent years due to declining mail volumes, limits on what it can charge customers, and a mandate to deliver to 168M addresses six days a week.
- Steiner was hand-selected by Trump, who interviewed him at the White House earlier this month.
- Steiner will have to contend with DOGE, which has been tasked with improving efficiency at the Postal Service.
Steiner said in a statement:
“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.”
Democrats voiced concern that appointing Steiner could be a step in the direction of privatizing the Postal Service:
“The American people deserve and expect an independent, fair, and accessible Postal Service that operates without prejudice or political influence. It is our sincere hope that as Postmaster General, Mr. Steiner will put the interest 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.”
Will Steiner spearhead efforts to privatize the USPS? Will he turn the agency around? Time will tell. He certainly seems qualified for the job, and I'm rooting for a successful transition. However I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hit reply and let me know what you think about the appointment.