Biden taps former cabinet secretary for USPS board

President Biden on Thursday nominated former Labor Department Secretary Marty Walsh to serve on the U.S. Postal Service board of governors, potentially giving the administration more representation in supervising the mailing agency. 

Walsh, a former Democratic mayor of Boston, would fill one of two vacancies currently open on the governing board. His nomination comes at a pivotal moment for the Postal Service, which, under the leadership of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, is in the midst of a complete overhaul of the agency’s operations, staffing and pricing strategies. It follows a call earlier this month from dozens of House Democrats who pushed Biden to fill the vacancies to ensure increased oversight of DeJoy’s reforms. 

In making its announcement, the White House noted that Walsh appreciates the role of unions and empowered workers as Labor secretary in leading pandemic recovery efforts. Walsh, who left the administration last year, currently serves as executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association. 

The former secretary’s confirmation would give Biden his sixth nominee to sit on the board that has nine presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed slots. Lee Moak and Bill Zollars both saw their terms expire in December and their seats have been vacant ever since. Walsh would be the fourth Democrat to sit on the board, joining three Republicans and one independent. Federal statute requires no more than five members of the board be of the same party, meaning Biden could choose another Democrat to fill the remaining vacancy. 

Two former members of Congress, Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., previously expressed interest in receiving an appointment to the postal board. 

The board has generally supported DeJoy’s efforts, though it has occasionally pushed back on some of his initiatives. It is currently chaired by Roman Martinez, a President Trump-appointed Republican and DeJoy ally. 

The Postal Service is currently implementing DeJoy's 10-year Delivering for America plan that it says will make the agency more efficient and eliminate its annual deficits. 

That has included consolidating mail sorting and processing centers, delaying mail pick-up schedules, slowing mail delivery windows and increasing prices and unprecedented rates. It is also investing $40 billion in capital upgrades and converting more of its workforce to career positions. In recent months, mail delivery has slowed to its worst performance in three years.