Nov. 20 (UPI) — President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Derek Kan and Daniel Tangherlini to positions on the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board.
They’ll replace two allies of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy whose terms are expiring — Ron Bloom and John Barger.
The announcement comes after more than a year of scrutiny of DeJoy, whose plans to cut costs at the USPS have led to slower mail delivery times and worries over mail-in ballots ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
The FBI, meanwhile, launched an investigation over the summer into DeJoy over an alleged private sector campaign finance scheme. He was accused of pressuring employees to donate to Republican candidates in exchange for reimbursement through bonuses while he was leading North Carolina-based New Breed Logistics from 2000 to 2014.
The USPS board of governors selects the postmaster general and, even after the replacement of two of DeJoy’s allies, his position is likely still secure. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Biden doesn’t have the authority to replace DeJoy, but that the administration is “deeply troubled” by the job he’s doing.
