As of August 1, the Senate has approved the appointment of two USPS Board of Governors (BOG) nominees. When the board is fully staffed, it is composed of nine members (this number does not include the postmaster general and deputy postmaster general). The board members are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. However, it has been many years since the board was at full complement. The number of board members started to decrease starting in 2010, and in 2016, it only had one member (any additional presidential appointments were placed on hold). When the term for the solitary member expired, there was no longer an active board, which impacted mailers in several ways (one of the most noticeable was that USPS postage-saving promotions were unable to be approved). With these new appointees, there are enough members to establish a quorum, although the board is not yet fully staffed.
The Appointees
- Ron A. Bloom (New York) will be a Member of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service for the remainder of a seven-year term expiring December 8, 2020.
- Roman Martinez IV (Florida) will be a Member of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, for the remainder of a seven-year term expiring December 8, 2024.
- John McLeod Barger (California) will be a Member of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service for a term expiring December 8, 2021. He replaces former Governor Louis J. Giuliano, whose term expired.