David Steiner, the former CEO of Waste Management, was selected to become the postmaster general for the United States Postal Service.
Steiner’s selection by the USPS board of governors comes as the postal service is struggling financially, and after President Donald Trump had previously made comments about taking over it.
The former CEO of Waste Management reportedly received Trump’s endorsement.
“Dave is the right person to lead the Postal Service at this time to ensure this magnificent and historic organization thrives into the future,” Postal Service board chairwoman Amber McReynolds said in a statement on Friday. “Dave is a highly regarded leader and executive with tremendous vision, experience and skill that can be applied to the long-term mission and business needs of the Postal Service.”
However, some critics say that Steiner’s hiring may be a conflict of interest because of his current position on FedEx’s board of directors, where he serves as lead independent director.
“His selection isn’t just a conflict of interest — it’s an aggressive step toward handing America’s mail system over to corporate interests,” Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers union, 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 also noted Steiner’s anti-union stance while CEO of Waste Management.
Back in March, former USPS postmaster Louis DeJoy stepped down following Trump’s comments about taking control of the USPS under the Department of Commerce.
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“We want to have a post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money, and we’re thinking about doing that,” Trump said in February. “And it will be a form of a merger, but it’ll remain the Postal Service, and I think it’ll operate a lot better than it has been over the years.”
The USPS reported a net financial loss of $9.5 billion in fiscal 2024 and projected that it would be unlikely to hit its goal of breaking even in fiscal 2025.