Louis DeJoy, head of the US Postal Service, says he plans to step down after 5 years

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he is planning on stepping down and has asked the U.S. Postal Service to begin looking for his successor.

DeJoy, who was appointed in 2020 during the first Trump administration, requested the Postal Service Board of Governors begin looking for his successor in a letter Monday.

"As you know, I have worked tirelessly to lead the 640,000 men and women of the Postal Service in accomplishing an extraordinary transformation," DeJoy wrote in the letter. "We have served the American people through an unprecedented pandemic and through a period of high inflation and sensationalized politics."

"Today I am requesting that you begin the process of identifying a successor for my position as Postmaster General," DeJoy wrote. "While you undertake that process, my commitment is to devote my time and energy and being as helpful as possible in facilitating a transition that is the least impactful to the Postal Service and the American people, and that positions my successor and the Postal Service for long-term success."

The federal agency announced DeJoy's decision in a news release Tuesday, adding that the board of governors "will now begin the process of identifying an appropriate candidate to serve as the next Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service."

“Louis DeJoy has steadfastly served the nation and the Postal Service over the past five years,” said Amber McReynolds, chairwoman of the Board of Governors, in the news release. “The Governors greatly appreciate his enduring leadership and his tireless efforts to modernize the Postal Service and reverse decades of neglect.”

DeJoy developed a 10-year plan to modernize USPS operations and stem losses called the Delivering for America plan.

The plan, published March 2021, called for over $40 billion in capital investments over the next ten years, including $20 billion towards the agency's mail and package processing network and another $19 billion towards its retail and delivery network. Another $2 billion would go toward technology upgrades.

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According to his biography on the USPS website, DeJoy spent more than 35 years building a leading a nationwide logistics company before joining the postal service.