A major postal union is reacting with dismay to reports that the Trump administration is backing FedEx board member and former Waste Management CEO David Steiner to be appointed as the next postmaster general, comparing the choice to a “hostile takeover” of the historically independent mail service.
“His selection isn’t just a conflict of interest—it’s an aggressive step toward handing America’s mail system over to corporate interests,” National Association of Letter Carriers Brian L. Renfroe said in a statement. “Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner’s selection is an open invitation to do just that.”
Renfroe accused Steiner of a corporate record at Waste Management of “union-busting, slashing jobs, and replacing workers with machines.”
A nine-member board of governors appoints the postmaster general, but the Trump administration is reportedly pushing Steiner as the next pick, following a recommendation from FedEx, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, though the company has said it isn’t involved in the selection process.
Trump met with another potential candidate at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida on Friday and told him he decided to offer the top job to Steiner, the Post reports.
The Independent has contacted the White House, the Postal Service, and FedEx for comment.
The reported shake-up comes at a tumultuous time for the Postal Service.
The previous postmaster general, former logistics executive and GOP donor Louis DeJoy, resigned in March, amid a reported clash with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative over data access.
That same month, USPS announced plans to cut 10,000 workers from its roughly 640,000-person workforce.
Trump has long criticized the Postal Service over its role in mail-in voting and dealings with private companies like Amazon.
Earlier this year, the president was reported to be preparing executive action to dissolve USPS’s leadership and fold the mail service into his administration, under the control of the Commerce Department.
During his administration, Trump will be able to fill five vacancies on the Postal Service board of governors, deepening the president’s influence over the mail agency’s long-term direction, pricing, and delivery standards.
