Postal unions and stakeholders wary as Trump nominates little-known picks to USPS board

As the U.S. Postal Service contemplates service cuts due to the prospect of running out of money as soon as fall 2026, President Donald Trump recently nominated three additional individuals to the postal agency’s Board of Governors. Several unions and other stakeholders, however, reported that they are largely unfamiliar with his picks. 

“[The National Association of Letter Carriers] is closely monitoring these unknown nominees and will actively work to ensure they have the best interests of the employees and the network before they are confirmed,” the union said in a press release responding to the nominations announcement. 

The postal board nominees are: Robert Steffens of Texas, Jeffrey Brodsky and William Gallo, both of Florida. 

Steffens is a longtime executive at Marvel Entertainment who in 2025 sued the company's parent, Disney, alleging that he was told secondhand that he had been passed over for a promotion because he is “another old white guy.” The Trump administration has prioritized removing any federal programs that are determined to promote diversity, equity or inclusion. 

According to his LinkedIn profile, Steffens most recently was the chief financial officer of a sports streaming company between October 2024 and January 2025. 

Brodsky is the co-founder of Quest Turnaround Advisors, which “specializes in situations demanding significant and rapid change in a company’s capital structure, operations or strategy.”

The NALC described Gallo as a “retired commodities broker and entrepreneur.” According to his LinkedIn profile, he holds leadership positions in a medical supply company, entertainment business and real estate investment firm. 

Postal governor nominees are statutorily mandated to be chosen based on the public interest and to have expertise in public service, law or accounting. Additionally, at least four of the governors are required to be selected based on their experience managing public or private organizations that employ at least 50,000 workers. 

In January, the president re-nominated Anthony Lomangino, who is a Trump donor and waste management executive, to the USPS board. The American Postal Workers Union has raised concerns over his nomination because two of his companies have been bought by Waste Management. Postmaster General David Steiner previously served as CEO of that business. 

Trump first nominated Lomangino in 2025, but the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee did not take any action on it. So the nomination was returned to the president with the new year. 

Last year, Trump also nominated John LaValle to be a postal governor, but he withdrew the nomination after two months. 

There are currently four governors on the USPS board — two Democrats, one Republican, one independent — leaving five vacancies. No more than five of them can be from the same political party. 

NALC noted that the Senate has traditionally advanced postal nominees in bipartisan pairs, but all of Trump’s picks, so far, have been Republicans. The president has attempted to remove Democratic members of several bipartisan agency boards, prompting legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court. 

Kathleen Siviter, the executive director at the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, said that a full board would improve postal governance. 

"As we know from the past, when the USPS Board of Governors went down to only one governor, it is imperative to have a full board to effectively manage the Postal Service,” she told Government Executive by email. “It will be interesting to see if the Senate determines that these recent nominations meet the requirements contained in the law outlining qualifications for USPS governors."

Former Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan. — the executive director of Keep US Posted, a nonprofit advocacy group — expressed hope that the new slate of postal nominees may pivot USPS from its Delivering for America modernization plan. 

“Should they be confirmed, [we] look forward to working with the new nominees, and we hope that they will bring a fresh outlook to former Postmaster General DeJoy’s Delivering for America plan before it does even more harm to the country’s mail network,” Yoder said in a statement to Government Executive. 

Postal stakeholders and lawmakers from both parties have contended that Delivering for America has worsened USPS’ financial woes, but Steiner and the postal board have argued that the plan has improved operations and produced savings.