Ex-Waste Management CEO David Steiner tapped to lead Postal Service

Former Waste Management CEO David Steiner is set to become the U.S. Postal Service's next postmaster general this summer, as the independent mail agency faces significant financial struggles and questions about its future under President Trump.

"Dave is the right person to lead the Postal Service at this time to ensure this magnificent and historic organization thrives into the future," Postal Service board chair Amber McReynolds said in a statement Friday announcing Steiner's hire. "Dave is a highly regarded leader and executive with tremendous vision, experience and skill that can be applied to the long-term mission and business needs of the Postal Service."

Steiner, 67, who led the waste-and-recycling firm's overhaul following a financial scandal in the 1990s, had emerged as a front-runner for the postal head job in recent days and was reportedly backed by Trump for the role. He is on the board of directors at leading Postal Service competitor FedEx, where he has held the title of lead independent director.

Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) union that represents thousands of active and former postal workers, deemed Steiner's history with FedEx a conflict of interest with Postal Service's long-term mission and "a direct assault on the workers who keep the mail moving and the public connected."

"His selection isn't just a conflict of interest — it's an aggressive step toward handing America's mail system over to corporate interests," Renfroe said in a statement. "Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner’s selection is an open invitation to do just that."

The Postal Service operated under the White House for decades until Congress passed the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. A president-appointed board of governors picks the postmaster general and provides oversight under the current system. The current board includes one Trump appointee and four members appointed by former President Biden, with four seats vacant.

Trump has floated the idea of reclaiming control of the service, possibly putting it under the umbrella of the Department of Commerce.

"We want to have a post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money, and we’re thinking about doing that," Trump told reporters in February. "And it will be a form of a merger, but it’ll remain the Postal Service, and I think it’ll operate a lot better than it has been over the years."

The Washington Post reported this week, citing unnamed sources, that Trump was involved in Steiner's selection.

Trump pushed for the ouster of former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in March.