So, it actually happened. After years of headlines, late mail, and more drama than a DC political thriller, Louis DeJoy is no longer the Postmaster General.
Honestly, if you missed the news during the chaotic shuffle of 2025, you aren't alone. It was a weird, sudden exit that felt like both a long time coming and a total shock to the system. One day he’s testifying about the "Delivering for America" plan, and the next, he’s out the door.
He resigned on March 24, 2025. Just like that.
The Reality of the DeJoy USPS Postmaster General Resignation
Most people thought DeJoy would be "the guy who never leaves." He had survived multiple administrations, endless congressional hearings, and more public outcry than almost any other civil servant in recent memory. But the DeJoy USPS Postmaster General resignation wasn't just a random whim. It was the culmination of a massive collision between his corporate restructuring goals and the new political reality of 2025.
Basically, DeJoy hit a wall.
By early 2025, the USPS was staring down a $9.5 billion net loss for the previous fiscal year. People were fed up with stamp prices going up—they'd climbed about 36% since 2019—while delivery times felt like they were stuck in the mud. Then came the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). When that group started looking at the Postal Service as a prime target for "radical efficiency" and potential privatization, the heat became unbearable.
DeJoy didn't just quit because he was tired. He left right after signing an agreement with DOGE and the GSA to "find efficiencies." It sort of felt like he was being handed a map to a minefield and decided to let someone else walk it.
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Who is running the show now?
If you check the mail today, you’re looking at the Steiner era.
After a brief stint where Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino kept the lights on as the interim boss, the Board of Governors tapped David Steiner as the 76th Postmaster General. He took over on July 15, 2025.
Steiner is an interesting pick. He’s the former CEO of Waste Management. You might think, "Wait, garbage and mail?" But logically, both are massive logistics puzzles involving thousands of trucks and a workforce of over 600,000 people. He also sat on the board of FedEx, so he knows the private sector competition inside and out.
Why the DeJoy Resignation Still Matters in 2026
You've probably noticed your mail is a little different lately. That’s because even though DeJoy is gone, his 10-year plan is still very much alive—just under new management.
What most people get wrong is thinking the resignation meant the end of the "Delivering for America" (DFA) overhaul. It didn't. Steiner has actually kept several of the core tenets, though he’s pivoted on the tone.
For example, we just saw the first big win for the post-DeJoy era: Steiner decided to forgo a stamp price increase for January 2026. That was a huge relief for small businesses. Under DeJoy, it felt like prices were going up every time you blinked. Steiner is trying to prove he can find the "efficiencies" DeJoy talked about without just squeezing more nickels out of your wallet.
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The DOGE Factor and Privatization Fears
There is still a lot of tension behind the scenes.
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and its president, Mark Dimondstein, have been vocal about the fact that they believe DeJoy was essentially forced out to make room for a more "privatization-friendly" takeover. They aren't wrong to be worried. There is a real push from some corners of the government to turn the USPS into something that looks less like a public service and more like a corporate entity.
Here is the thing: The USPS is an independent establishment. The President can’t just fire the Postmaster General. Only the Board of Governors can. That’s why the DeJoy USPS Postmaster General resignation was such a pivot point—it allowed the Board to reset the relationship with the White House and the new efficiency departments without a total legal war.
What's Changing (And What Isn't)
- Network Overhaul: They are still consolidating sorting centers. If your mail is coming from a "Regional Processing and Distribution Center" (RPDC) you’ve never heard of, that’s the plan in action.
- Delivery Speed: Steiner claims on-time delivery for the 2025 holiday surge was faster than the previous year, averaging about 2.5 days.
- The "Vibrant" Sales Force: One of DeJoy’s last big moves was reviving the USPS sales team to go after big contracts with direct shippers. Steiner is leaning into this hard, trying to take market share back from UPS and FedEx.
- Safety Standards: Just this month, in January 2026, the USPS started tightening rules on contracted trucking providers to phase out unvetted drivers. It's a boring detail, but it shows the focus has shifted back to operational "boring" stuff rather than high-level political bickering.
A nuanced look at the legacy
Was DeJoy a villain? A visionary? Honestly, it depends on who you ask.
If you ask a rural resident whose local sorting center got closed, he was a disaster. If you ask a logistics nerd who saw a "moribund" agency finally upgrade its ancient truck fleet to the new electric NGDVs (Next Generation Delivery Vehicles), he was the guy who finally got things moving.
The DeJoy USPS Postmaster General resignation didn't solve the fundamental problem: The USPS is legally required to deliver to 170 million addresses six days a week, but it’s also expected to pay for itself like a business. It’s an impossible math problem.
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Actionable Steps for 2026
Since the leadership transition is now settled, here is what you actually need to do to navigate the "New" USPS:
1. Lock in Your Rates
Steiner skipped the January 2026 hike, but he hinted at "mid-year" adjustments. If you run a business that relies on bulk mail, buy your Forever stamps now or negotiate your Parcel Select contracts before July.
2. Watch the "Destination Delivery Unit" (DDU) Changes
The USPS is currently changing how it handles "last mile" delivery for big companies like Amazon and DHL. If you’re a third-party shipper, pay close attention to the bid solicitations happening this month (January 2026). The rules for where you drop off packages are shifting to favor the USPS's own middle-mile network.
3. Use Ground Advantage
If you’re still using old-school Priority Mail for everything, you’re likely overpaying. One of the best things to come out of the transition was the streamlining of ground services. It’s often just as fast as the "express" options now because the network is more integrated.
4. Track Your Local Facility
The consolidation of processing centers is still happening. If you notice a sudden dip in your local mail speed, check if your local facility was "optimized." You can usually find these updates on the USPS "Service Alerts" page, which is much more transparent than it used to be.
The DeJoy era is over, but the ripples are still hitting the shore. Whether Steiner can actually save the post office without selling it off piece by piece is the big question for the rest of 2026. For now, at least the stamp prices are staying put.