The United States Postal Service is today announcing that Louis DeJoy, America’s 75th Postmaster General, has notified the Postal Service Board of Governors that it is time for them to begin the process of identifying his successor. The Governors of the Postal Service, working with key stakeholders, 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. Postmaster General’s letter to the Board of Governors: “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. “The Governors greatly appreciate his enduring leadership and his tireless efforts to modernize the Postal Service and reverse decades of neglect.” She added that “Louis is a fighter, and he has fought hard for the women and men of the Postal Service and to ensure that the American people have reliable and affordable service for years to come.” DeJoy stated, “While there remains much critical work to be done to ensure that the Postal Service can be financially viable as we continue to serve the nation in our essential public service mission, I have decided it is time to start the process of identifying my successor and of preparing the Postal Service for this change. The major initiatives we are currently endeavoring are multi-year programs and it is important to have leadership in place whose tenure will span this future period. After four and half years leading one of America’s greatest public institutions through dramatic change during unusual times, it is time for me to start thinking about the next phase of my life, while also ensuring that the Postal Service is fully prepared for the future."

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) welcomes the release of the 2018 Special 301 Report by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The Report highlights key markets in which publishers have significant copyright concerns and face market-access barriers. The Report is a critical tool for policymakers to identify barriers that impede the ability of U.S. copyright owners to compete in foreign markets. The Report notes that the U.S. “remains deeply troubled by the ambiguous education-related exception to copyright that has significantly damaged the market for educational publishers and authors.” This overbroad fair dealing exception for education has led to systematic, uncompensated copying and confusing guidance to courts. Reform is necessary to instill balance into the law and ensure that authors and publishers are appropriately compensated for the use of their works. Click Read More below for additional information.

Keep US Posted — a nonprofit advocacy group of consumers, nonprofits, newspapers, greeting card publishers, magazines, catalogs, and small businesses — warned that postage rate hikes are contributing to the U.S. Postal Service’s mounting losses, after the USPS announced a loss of $6.5 billion for the fiscal year 2023 — the same year it was projected to break even under Postmaster General DeJoy’s Delivering for America plan. During yesterday’s open session, the USPS Board of Governors announced the staggering $6.5 billion loss for the year, driven by mail volume declines of more than 9 percent and an over 2 percent drop in package volumes. The Board of Governors also announced that it anticipates a $6.3 billion loss next year, and noted that the 10-year Delivering for America plan—which depended on package growth that has not materialized — could face changes.