Louis DeJoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis DeJoy
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| 75th United States Postmaster General | |
| In office June 16, 2020 – March 24, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Megan Brennan |
| Succeeded by | Doug Tulino (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 20, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Aldona Wos |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Stetson University (BBA) |
| Signature |  |
Louis DeJoy (born June 20, 1957) is an American businessman. He was the 75th U.S. Postmaster General, which means he was in charge of the United States Postal Service (USPS). He was chosen in May 2020 by the USPS Board of Governors and left his job on March 24, 2025. Before this, he started a shipping company called New Breed Logistics. He also helped raise money for the Republican Party and Donald Trump.
Mr. DeJoy was the first Postmaster General since 1992 who had not worked for the USPS before. His past companies still had contracts with the USPS, which caused some people to worry about a "conflict of interest." This means his personal business might have benefited from his public job.
After he started in June 2020, Mr. DeJoy made changes to save money. These changes included stopping overtime pay and extra trips for mail delivery. The Postal Service also removed many mail-sorting machines and some mail collection boxes. These actions led to mail delivery delays. These changes happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and before the 2020 presidential election. People worried that the delays would affect voters who sent their ballots by mail. Because of public concern, Mr. DeJoy said in August 2020 that the changes would stop until after the election. In October, the USPS agreed to reverse all of them.
In March 2021, Mr. DeJoy shared a 10-year plan called "Delivering for America." This plan aimed to make the Postal Service financially stable. It included slowing down first-class mail delivery, making transportation better, cutting post office hours, and raising prices. The plan also hoped that Congress would help the USPS with its costs for retired workers' health care. Congress did this with the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022.
Mr. DeJoy also faced criticism for his decision in 2022 to buy mostly gasoline-powered delivery vehicles. He said this was because of the Postal Service's money problems. However, after more money was provided by the Postal Service Reform Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, he changed his plans. The final plan orders mostly electric vehicles through 2028, and only electric vehicles after that.
Early Life and Education
Louis DeJoy was born on June 20, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in Islip, New York. His parents were Italian immigrants. His father worked in trucking. Louis DeJoy went to Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and earned a degree in accounting.
Career Before USPS
After college, Mr. DeJoy became a certified public accountant in Florida.
New Breed Logistics
From 1983 to 2014, Mr. DeJoy was the CEO of a company called New Breed Logistics. This company was based in High Point, North Carolina.
Working with the USPS
New Breed Logistics worked with the United States Postal Service for over 25 years. They helped the USPS with shipping and logistics. In 2001, an audit by the USPS inspector general found that New Breed Logistics had received contracts worth more than $300 million without competition. The audit suggested this might have cost taxpayers $53 million more than if the contracts had been openly bid.
Mr. DeJoy said that the review found no problems with how his company fulfilled its contracts. The USPS also disagreed with some audit findings, saying high costs were due to operating in an expensive area.
Sale to XPO Logistics
In 2014, XPO Logistics bought New Breed Logistics for about $615 million. After the sale, Mr. DeJoy led XPO's supply chain business in North America until he retired the next year. He also served on XPO Logistics' board of directors until 2018.
LDJ Global Strategies
When he was chosen as Postmaster General, Mr. DeJoy was the president of LDJ Global Strategies. This company, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, worked in real estate, investments, and consulting.
Helping the Republican Party
Mr. DeJoy has given a lot of money and helped raise funds for many Republican politicians. He supported President George W. Bush's campaign in 2004 and Donald Trump's campaign in 2020. He also donated to the Republican Party.
In April 2017, he became one of three deputy finance chairmen for the Republican National Committee. In May 2019, he became the local finance chairman for the 2020 Republican National Convention.
In September 2020, news reports said that former employees at New Breed Logistics claimed Mr. DeJoy had reimbursed them for political donations. This is sometimes called a "straw donor" scheme. Employees were reportedly expected to donate to Republican causes and then received bonuses to cover the cost. Records showed that New Breed employees gave a lot of money to Republicans. Mr. DeJoy strongly denied these claims. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform started an investigation. The Federal Election Commission later voted to dismiss complaints against Mr. DeJoy, as some employees denied being pressured. The FBI also investigated, but no charges were filed as of 2023.
Postmaster General Role
How He Was Chosen
On May 6, 2020, the USPS Board of Governors announced Mr. DeJoy's appointment as Postmaster General. All members of this board were chosen by President Trump. Some people worried about conflicts of interest because of his past business dealings. Mr. DeJoy was the first Postmaster General in 20 years without previous experience working for the USPS.
Mr. DeJoy sold his shares in companies like UPS and Amazon before starting his job. However, he kept a large investment in XPO, a company that works with the USPS. The USPS inspector general later found that Mr. DeJoy "met all the applicable ethics requirements" for his investments.
2020 Mail Service Changes
When Mr. DeJoy started on June 16, 2020, he began making changes to cut costs. These included stopping overtime and extra trips for mail delivery. These changes caused the mail service to slow down. Many high-speed mail sorting machines were planned to be taken apart. People worried that mail-in ballots for the November 3 election might not arrive on time. The removal of mail collection boxes also became a concern. The USPS said these changes were part of a long-standing practice due to less first-class mail. In August 2020, Mr. DeJoy announced that the removal of mailboxes and sorting equipment would stop until after the election.
On August 7, 2020, Mr. DeJoy moved or changed the roles of 23 senior USPS officials. He said he wanted to improve a "broken business model." Some lawmakers called this "sabotage." In a letter to postal workers, Mr. DeJoy said mail delays were "unintended consequences" of changes meant to improve service.
After protests from Congress, the USPS inspector general reviewed Mr. DeJoy's policy changes. On August 18, 2020, Mr. DeJoy said the Postal Service would stop cost-cutting changes until after the 2020 election. He said equipment already removed would not be put back. Documents later suggested Mr. DeJoy might have given incorrect information to Congress about ordering overtime restrictions. During his testimony, he admitted he did not know the cost of mailing a postcard or how many Americans voted by mail in 2016.
In September 2020, a court stopped the USPS from sending misleading mail about mail-in voting in Colorado. The USPS later agreed to show previews of election mailers to Colorado officials. In October, the USPS agreed to reverse all changes made in June that affected mail services in Montana. This included putting back collection boxes and mail sorting machines, and allowing overtime. This agreement affected all 50 states.
A March 2021 report from the Postal Service's inspector general found that most mail-in ballots in the 2020 election were delivered on time.
Working with the Biden Administration
In February 2021, President Joe Biden nominated three people to fill open spots on the USPS Board of Governors. This board has the power to remove the Postmaster General. Mr. DeJoy said he planned to stay in his role for a long time.
Mr. DeJoy worked with lawmakers to get support for the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. This law helped the Postal Service financially and required it to deliver mail six days a week. President Biden signed it into law on April 6, 2022. Mr. DeJoy's efforts helped get support from both Republicans and Democrats for the bill.
In late 2021, Mr. DeJoy helped the USPS deliver about 380 million free COVID-19 test kits to Americans from January to May 2022.
Vehicle Purchase Decisions
Mr. DeJoy faced criticism for his decision on February 24, 2021, to give a $6.5 billion contract to Oshkosh to update the USPS vehicle fleet. Oshkosh had said it lacked experience making electric vehicles. This decision went against President Biden's goal for the USPS to be 100% electric.
In February 2022, Mr. DeJoy ordered $11.3 billion worth of mostly gasoline-powered replacement vehicles. Lawmakers and the EPA criticized this, pointing out the environmental costs. Mr. DeJoy said the agency's financial situation was a reason for not including more electric vehicles.
After the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 improved USPS finances, Mr. DeJoy changed his plans. In July 2022, he announced a plan to buy 40% electric vehicles. In August, the Inflation Reduction Act included $3 billion for electric USPS vehicles. In December 2022, Mr. DeJoy announced another change: 75% of new custom-made vehicles would be electric, plus 21,000 electric vehicles from other companies. After 2026, the USPS expects all new vehicle purchases to be electric. The first order under this plan, for 9,450 electric vehicles from Ford and charging stations, was announced in February 2023.
Ten-Year Reform Plan
In March 2021, Mr. DeJoy released his "Delivering for America" plan. It aimed to fix a $160 billion budget gap over ten years. The plan recognized that people send less first-class mail due to the Internet, but more packages due to e-commerce.
Key parts of the plan included:
- Slowing down long-distance first-class mail by using ground transport instead of air.
- Investing more money ($40 billion) in new vehicles, package sorting machines, and post office upgrades.
- Asking Congress for money for electric vehicles and help with retiree health care costs.
- Increasing postage prices.
- Making package delivery better and more affordable.
- Saving money by making the network more efficient.
- Removing old mail sorting machines.
- Combining mail sorting and delivery operations into new centers.
- Reducing how often employees leave their jobs.
In 2024, Mr. DeJoy was criticized for how new regional hubs were set up. He said these hubs would slow mail for people in rural areas but speed it up for those near the hubs. Some lawmakers, like Senator Jon Ossoff, criticized the plan's effects on mail delivery, especially in places like Palmetto, Georgia, and Portland, Oregon.
Leaving the USPS
On February 18, 2025, Mr. DeJoy announced he planned to step down as Postmaster General. He asked the Postal Service Board of Governors to find his replacement.
On March 12, 2025, Mr. DeJoy made an agreement with "DOGE" representatives to help the USPS find more ways to be efficient. He confirmed that DOGE would have limited access to Postal Service data. Union leaders said Mr. DeJoy promised that DOGE would not have unlimited access to postal workers' records.
Mr. DeJoy officially resigned from his position on March 24, 2025.
Personal Life
Louis DeJoy is married to Aldona Wos. She is a former doctor and was the U.S. ambassador to Estonia. They have twin children. They own homes in Washington, D.C., and Greensboro, North Carolina. Their Greensboro home has been used for political fundraising events.
See also
- Postal voting in the United States
- United States Postal Service
