OH-Sen: Tim Ryan (D) Calls On Pres. Biden To Fire Postal Service Board Of Governors Over Mail Delays
Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan (D-13) is urging President Joe Biden to fire the entire United States Postal Service Board of Governors and nominate new leadership amid recent mail delays.
In his letter to the president, Ryan explained how operational changes imposed by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy continue to “negatively impact the quality and timeliness of mail service nationally.”
“My offices have been inundated with calls, emails, and letters detailing their unfortunate experiences with the USPS. Too many are receiving bills weeks late, which has caused them to miss car, credit card, and utility payments through no fault of their own. Many are also expressing frustrations that they have not yet received their pension checks that they depend on or the holiday greetings and gifts that their family and friends sent weeks ago. The Postmaster General and the entire Board of Governors have failed the American people,” wrote Congressman Ryan.
Ryan’s not wrong about this. In fact, Democracy For America agrees with Ryan. I received this e-mail today from Democracy For America:
Ever since Trump mega-donor Louis DeJoy was installed as Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, he’s done everything in his power to destroy it.
From decommissioning mailboxes and mail-sorting machines across the country prior to the election to slowing USPS delivery times to a crawl, DeJoy must be held accountable for his unethical and potentially criminal activity.
There is no question about it, Louis DeJoy must be fired.
While President Biden does not have the power to directly fire Louis DeJoy, the President is not powerless.
President Biden can call on the Board of Governors to fire DeJoy and if they refuse to act, he can replace the Board of Governors with new leaders that will meet their responsibility to represent the public’s interest by removing Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General immediately.
For decades, the Republican party has sought to destroy the USPS. They want to see it privatized so corporate America, for-profit companies like Fed Ex and UPS, can charge higher prices, pay workers less, and rake in billions of dollars in profits.
Republicans don’t care if prices go up or service goes down, as long as profits go up.
Now Republicans have a new reason to kill the Post Office: Voting.
That’s why Trump had Dejoy appointed in the first place. He knew Louis DeJoy would do everything in his power to delay ballots and try to stop voting by mail by any means necessary. And that’s exactly what DeJoy attempted to do.
We may never know exactly how much damage DeJoy did, but we can stop him from doing it again.
Thank you for working to Save our Postal Service, together we will succeed.
— Tre
Tre Graves, Campaign Organizer
Democracy for America
In other Ryan-related news, he’s laying the groundwork for his U.S. Senate bid:
Former Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, a Democrat who has been encouraging Mr. Ryan to run, said of the congressman, “I think he is the person with the best chance, given this political climate we’re in and given the way Ohio has been performing.”
“He has the ability to appeal to a lot of independents, and Democrats will be very excited about this candidacy,” Mr. Strickland said.
Mr. Ryan has also discussed his candidacy with Representative Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving member in Ohio’s congressional delegation, and national labor leaders, including Lee Saunders of Afscme, while also receiving a nudge from Hillary Clinton.
Asked about these conversations, Mr. Ryan said on Monday that he was “encouraged by their support, enthusiasm and commitment,” adding, “The U.S. Senate needs another working-class voice, and I’m very serious about the opportunity to continue representing the people of Ohio.”
He is expected to declare his candidacy by the beginning of March, according to Democrats briefed on his planning.
He’s also been trying to flex his muscle with the Biden Administration:
Congressman Tim Ryan, D-13th District, invited President Joe Biden to visit the Valley.
He invited the president to tour Lordstown Motors and the Ultium Battery Manufacturing Plant, both in Lordstown.
Ryan says he wants to show off “Voltage Valley” to the president, highlighting partnerships with Youngstown State University, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, BRITE Energy Innovations and America Makes.
“We are leveraging both our traditional and advanced manufacturing strengths together with our emerging capabilities in clean energy and e-mobility to revitalize our region, providing well-paying jobs for our citizens, address global energy and environmental concerns, and once again, regain our place as a valued national manufacturing center,” Ryan wrote in a letter to President Biden.
But Ryan might have a serious competitor for the Democratic nomination:
When Sen. Rob Portman announced his retirement this week, nearly every ambitious politician in Ohio, from mayors to other sitting members of Congress, began picturing themselves filling the state’s first open Senate seat in more than a decade.
The most intense speculation first landed on Rep. Jim Jordan, whose Fox News fame and loyalty to former president Donald Trump could have crowded out other Republicans in a primary. Jordan announced Thursday that he will not run.
The conversation, though, already was shifting sharply toward a doctor with zero experience in elected office who served as the Republican governor’s appointed health director and would run as a Democrat. Amy Acton, who quickly gained statewide acclaim and bipartisan admiration while overseeing the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, had been considering a run for the job even before Portman’s surprise announcement.
Efforts to recruit Acton into the race were first reported Monday by BuzzFeed News, with the Cleveland Plain Dealer reporting the next day that she was seriously entertaining the idea. Sources who have since been kept apprised of Acton’s deliberations told BuzzFeed News they expect her to signal her intentions by the end of the week. Another source familiar with her thinking believes she will “formalize her interest in some fashion” — likely a campaign committee that would allow her to raise and spend money for exploratory purposes — sometime in the next week.
Stay tuned. But if you support Ryan’s bid, click here to donate to his campaign.
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