Megan Brennan, the 74th US Postmaster General announced her retirement effective in 2020, after serving in the position for five years. The task of appointing the next Postmaster General now falls to the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.  With the increase of financial and political pressure on the USPS, the selection of her replacement will be essential to the future of the postal service as a public institution.

Before the postal reorganization in 1971, the Postmaster General was appointed directly by the President of the United States. Since then, members of the Postal Board of Governors are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and the Board in turn selects the Postmaster General.

The Postal Board of Governors was unable to reach a quorum for just short of 5-years until (finally) in August of this year, the Senate confirmed three nominees appointed by President Trump. Now the Board is in a position to hire the next PMG which will set the course for the Postal Service’s future. With the retirement prefunding issue still unresolved, there is a lot of concern that the Trump Administration will pressure the Postal Board of Governors to appoint a Postmaster General who shares the White House’s views on issues of privatization.

We will keep you abreast of the search of for the 75th US Postmaster General as it unfolds.