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Krishnamoorthi seeks USPS chief’s removal over ballot order
The congressman said millions of eligible Americans rely on mail voting, including military personnel serving overseas, seniors, rural voters, individuals with disabilities and working families.
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Pranavi Sharma - Tue, 11, Aug 2026
- 03:23 EDT
- 22
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on Aug. 10 called on the United States Postal Service Board of Governors to remove Postmaster General David Steiner, accusing him of pursuing President Donald Trump's mail-ballot executive order despite federal court rulings that key provisions are unconstitutional.
In a letter to Board Chairman Amber F. McReynolds, Vice Chairman Derek Kan and other board members, Krishnamoorthi said Steiner had failed to provide Congress with a clear account of USPS efforts to implement the order or explain whether those efforts stopped after federal courts intervened.
Krishnamoorthi said that failure undermines the "transparency, neutrality, and public trust" required of the postmaster general's office.
I’m calling on the USPS Board of Governors to remove Postmaster General David Steiner for trying to carry out Trump’s mail-ballot executive order despite federal court rulings that key provisions violate the Constitution. pic.twitter.com/G7rIIuz8us
— Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (@CongressmanRaja) August 10, 2026
Trump signed Executive Order 14399 on March 31, directing USPS to withhold delivery of mail ballots to voters whose eligibility could not be confirmed against SAVE, a federally compiled voter list.
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia challenged the order. A federal district court in Massachusetts blocked key portions of it, and on July 25, the First Circuit upheld that injunction. On July 27, the administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the order to take effect before the November midterm elections.
Krishnamoorthi said Steiner nevertheless indicated that USPS intended to carry out key aspects of the order. Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Steiner confirmed on June 24 that USPS would withhold mail ballots from states that declined to provide requested voter data, according to the letter.
"Rather than unequivocally rejecting this improper role for USPS, he has treated the courts as the only limit on the agency's participation," Krishnamoorthi wrote.
He said Congress and the public still deserve an account of what USPS did to prepare for the policy, whether those activities stopped after litigation began and why Steiner supported its implementation.
The letter also cited the Department of Justice's characterization of the executive order before the Supreme Court as merely "general policy guidance." The Justice Department acknowledged that USPS had not finalized implementing regulations, according to Krishnamoorthi.
"That is difficult to reconcile with USPS's apparent implementation efforts over the past four months," he wrote, adding that Congress and the board should determine what USPS has done and whether it complied with federal court orders.
Krishnamoorthi also said Steiner had not responded to requests for an accounting or to multiple congressional requests for information. He said Steiner also declined his request to appear voluntarily before the full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
"A Postmaster General who will not tell Congress whether his agency is complying with a federal court order, and who will not appear to answer for that silence, has forfeited the trust required to hold the office," Krishnamoorthi wrote.
The congressman said millions of eligible Americans rely on mail voting, including military personnel serving overseas, seniors, rural voters, individuals with disabilities and working families.
"USPS should deliver ballots, not decide who gets to vote," he wrote.
Krishnamoorthi urged the board to remove Steiner and ensure USPS follows the law, complies with federal court orders and stays out of decisions about voter eligibility. He requested a response by Aug. 24, 2026.
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