NC businessman, a big-time GOP donor, is tapped to lead US Postal Service
North Carolina businessman and major Republican donor Louis DeJoy will serve as the next Postmaster General of the United States, taking over the mail service at a time when it has been under financial strain and deep criticism from President Donald Trump.
DeJoy was the chairman and CEO of New Breed Logistics, based in High Point, from 1983 to 2014, when the company was acquired by another logisitics company for $615 million. DeJoy, who lives in Greensboro, has been the finance chairman for the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte.
“Having worked closely with the Postal Service for many years, I have a great appreciation for this institution and the dedicated workers who faithfully execute its mission. I look forward to working with the supporters of the Postal Service in Congress and the Administration to ensure the Postal Service remains an integral part of the United States government,” DeJoy said in a statement.
“Postal workers are the heart and soul of this institution, and I will be honored to work alongside them and their unions. It will be an incredible honor to serve as Postmaster General, and I commit myself to upholding the Postal Service’s cherished role in our nation.”
He is expected to begin his new role on June 15. The U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors announced DeJoy’s selection Wednesday.
DeJoy is the 75th Postmaster General in U.S. history. He will replace Megan Brennan. The governors said they started with a list of more than 200 candidates before narrowing it to DeJoy.
“Louis DeJoy understands the critical public service role of the United States Postal Service, and the urgent need to strengthen it for future generations,” said Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, chairman of the board, in a statement.
DeJoy’s wife, Aldona Wos, a former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Canada. She was nominated in February.
Critical time for Postal Service
Trump has been critical of the Postal Service, arguing that it should raise its rates for delivery, particularly of Amazon packages. Trump and his administration blocked aid to the Postal Service in the most recent coronavirus funding package passed by Congress. The Postal Service is losing billions each month during the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post reported.
Some Democrats have expressed concern about DeJoy’s selection.
The Postal Service could play a vital role in the 2020 election as vote-by-mail numbers are expected to rise. In North Carolina, the percentage of voters who vote by mail could rise to as much as 40%, the executive director of the state board of elections predicted.
“GOP is naming a political operative with no USPS experience as the Postmaster General right before an election where millions of people will try to vote by mail to save their own lives. They are eroding our democracy and crushing our public institutions before our very eyes,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York wrote on Twitter.
Donations to GOP, Trump
DeJoy has donated more than $450,000 to candidate campaigns, recount efforts, parties and traditional PACs in the 2020 cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Wos gave more than $420,000 in the 2016 cycle. DeJoy gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump’s PACs and inaugural committee in 2016.
Trump’s first trip to North Carolina as president was for a fundraiser at DeJoy’s home.
DeJoy has given extensively to Republicans since 2000.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM with the headline "NC businessman, a big-time GOP donor, is tapped to lead US Postal Service."
