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Louis DeJoy, the controversial head of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), resigned Monday after nearly five years in the role, leaving as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) explore the possibility of privatizing the nation’s mail service.
DeJoy, who had announced plans to step down last month without setting a date, hands over the agency at a time of uncertainty. The Trump administration is considering shifting USPS under the Commerce Department’s control in an effort to curb financial losses at the $78 billion-a-year agency, which has long struggled with the decline of first-class mail.
Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino will serve as interim leader until the Postal Service Board of Governors names a permanent replacement.
DeJoy’s Tenure Marked by Controversy
Appointed in 2020 during Trump’s first term, DeJoy was a Republican donor and former logistics executive—the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who was not a career postal employee. His tenure spanned the COVID-19 pandemic, record mail-in voting, and repeated efforts to reduce USPS’s operating costs through service cuts.
“I believe strongly that the organization is well positioned and capable of carrying forward and fully implementing the many strategies and initiatives that comprise our transformation and modernization,” DeJoy said in a statement. “Much work remains that is necessary to sustain our positive trajectory.”
His resignation follows pushback over his recent proposal to cut 10,000 jobs and billions from the USPS budget, a plan that he had developed alongside DOGE, according to a letter sent to Congress earlier this month.
Postal workers and unions have staged protests nationwide against the cuts, warning that they could dismantle essential mail services.
USPS’s Future: Privatization on the Table?
Trump’s proposal to transfer USPS oversight to the Commerce Department has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who fear it signals an effort to privatize mail services.
Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia warned that shifting control to DOGE could undermine the agency’s constitutional mandate. “The future of the Postal Service is on the line,” said National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian L. Renfroe, emphasizing the need for USPS to remain a public service.
USPS currently employs about 640,000 workers who ensure mail delivery from urban centers to remote islands. It remains unclear whether DeJoy’s departure will alter Trump’s restructuring plans or the broader debate over the agency’s future.
