U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned suddenly Monday, March 24, just weeks after saying he wanted to leave, but would stay until a successor was named. A major contributor to President Trump’s first bid for the White House, he was named PMG in 2020 by a USPS Board of Governors largely appointed by President Trump.

DeJoy and the USPS have faced increasing criticism from the Trump administration, with the president and Elon Musk calling for its privatization. Democrats say that would violate federal law. President Trump was very unhappy with DeJoy and the USPS for aid voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election.

President Trump has also floated the idea of ending the Postal Service’s independent-agency status and putting it in the Commerce Department.

DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” modernization plan has rankled many USPS employees and major mailers. However, his refusal to give DOGE officials broad access, as reported by The Washington Post, certainly did not sit well with the administration.

The newspaper reports that in recent days, administration officials have met with Jim Cochrane, the chief executive of the Package Shippers Association, a trade group that represents companies including Amazon, DHL and FedEx, about replacing DeJoy. Cochrane is reportedly a leading candidate to replace DeJoy.

The acting Postmaster General now is Doug Tulino, who rose to that position in 2021. He retained the position of Chief Human Resources Officer, to which he was named in November 2020.

Tulino began his career with the USPS as a management associate in Chicago in 1980. His entire career with the Postal Service has been in management.