Last month on August 28, the Senate confirmed President Trump’s USPS Board of Governors nominees Robert M. “Mike” Duncan of Kentucky and David C. Williams of Illinois. The Board had been without members since 2016. Duncan and Williams were nominated last fall. As a result of the confirmation, two of the nine empty seats have been filled.
The Board of Governors oversees the Postal Service™, including the filing of price changes and product definitions, setting policies on all postal matters, and selecting and removing the Postmaster General. It is comprised of nine governors, the Postmaster General, and the Deputy Postmaster General.
Duncan, a Republican, is a former Republican National Committee chairman who also worked in the President George H.W. Bush White House. His term expires on December 8, 2018 and Williams, a Democrat, was the Inspector General for the USPS® from August 2003 to January 2016. He also served as the Vice Chair on the Government Accountability and Transparency Board during the Obama administration. His term expires on December 8, 2019.
Said Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan, “The U.S. Postal Service is pleased with yesterday’s action by the U.S. Senate to confirm nominees to the Postal Service Board of Governors. We look forward to working with Robert M. Duncan and David C. Williams when they begin their terms as governors and thank the administration for nominating them to serve on the board.”
According to the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, one consequence of the confirmation is that the CPI-capped postage increase can be expected in late January. While the actual rates may vary, the Alliance expects an increase of 2.5 percent for each class of mail.
In addition to price increases, we can also expect offer promotions in 2019 now that there are governors to approve a filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission. There were no promotions in 2018 as a result of the board positions being vacant.