McCaskill Votes to Support Administration’s Nominees for the Postal Service Board of Governors

Senator votes to move forward the nominations for two slots on the currently empty board of governors, continues to push the Administration to put forward additional nominees

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, voted to move forward the nominations of David C. Williams and Robert M. Duncan to serve on the Postal Service Board of Governors. Once confirmed by the Senate, the nominees—one a Democrat, one a Republican—will fill two of the nine empty seats on the board.

“Whether it’s lifesaving medications or a simple birthday gift, Missourians depend on the Postal Service—and it needs a working Board of Governors to ensure that it’s serving Missourians as efficiently and reliably as possible,” McCaskill said. “I look forward to working with Mr. Williams and Mr. Duncan to ensure the Postal Service prioritizes Missourians’ needs, and I hope that the Administration will quickly nominate additional board members.”

The Board of Governors oversees the Postal Service, including its expenditures and practices, sets policies on all postal matters, and selects the Postmaster General. The board has nine spots, all of which have been vacant since 2016. Once confirmed by the Senate, Williams and Duncan’s appointments fill two of these vacancies. McCaskill is urging the Administration to nominate additional people to serve on the board.

“The Board of Governors is comparable to a board of directors of a publicly held corporation and consists of nine governors appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate—can you imagine a publicly-held corporation that would neglect to have a Board of Directors for years,” McCaskill stated during the confirmation hearing for Williams and Duncan.

As a leader of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Postal Service, McCaskill has long worked to improve postal service and hold the agency accountable. McCaskill is fighting to fix a bizarre quirk in which some Missouri residents have Iowa and Arkansas mailing addresses, causing unnecessary problems for the affected Missourians. McCaskill called for postal reforms after a Postal Service Inspector General report found that mismanagement led to up to two billion pieces of delayed mail. She has also called for answers from the Postmaster General following reports from Missouri USPS managers that their staffing needs have been disregarded. McCaskill is widely credited with having waged a successful campaign over several years to save rural post offices in Missouri and maintain delivery standards. 

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri. 

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