“First-class mail is supposed to be delivered in three days. It's taking closer to 10 for a lot of the mail in South Dakota.
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A Republican Senator Has Frozen Every One of Trump’s Postal Board Nominees Ten Weeks Before a Mail-Heavy Midterm — and Says He Will Not Lift the Hold Until Service Matches "the Days of the Pony Express"
August 28, 2026
Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota has placed a blanket hold on every one of President Trump's nominees to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, blocking floor confirmation of the entire slate. His grievance is service, not politics: first-class mail that is supposed to arrive in three days is taking closer to ten in South Dakota, veterans' prescriptions arrive late or not at all, and bills reach constituents on the day they are due. Rounds announced the holds on Aug. 12 alongside a bill to strip bonuses from USPS executives, and on Aug. 21 told the Postal Service he would release the hold only when service "returns to levels at least equal to the days of the Pony Express." By Aug. 28 USPS had told the South Dakota delegation it would upgrade its Sioux Falls facility, and Rounds's office said it was in talks with the White House. The hold lands on a slate that is already contested for a different reason. Trump has nominated only Republicans to a board that has been bipartisan by tradition, and in July the Homeland Security Committee's ranking Democrat, Gary Peters, asked Chairman Rand Paul to freeze the nominees until the administration puts forward Democratic names as well. Two nominees, Jeffrey Brodsky and William Gallo, were otherwise headed for a floor vote.
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“It is my intent to only release this blanket hold when my concerns are fully resolved by USPS leadership and service returns to levels at least equal to the days of the Pony Express.
“In addition, I've announced that I am placing holds on every nominee for the Postal Service Board of Directors until their leaders take steps to fix mail service in South Dakota.
“Incompetent bureaucrats should not get bonuses when the mail does not run on time. If the Postal Service were serious about cutting costs, it should cut costs inside its own ivory tower before passing costs on to the American people who are still receiving terrible service.
“Given the urgent financial, policy, and service issues facing the USPS and the critical role the Board plays in ensuring the Postal Service fulfills its public service mission, it is imperative that the President nominate and the Senate confirm well-qualified nominees from both political parties. Advancing only nominees from one party and failing to consult with the minority unnecessarily politicizes the Postal Service and undermines its statutory independence.