Postmaster General David Steiner Faces Election Mail Ballot Rule Test Postmaster General David Steiner implements Trump's mail ballot executive order amid criticism. He refuses to endorse the policy as sound and faces calls to resign from Democrats. Postmaster General David Steiner is at the center of a political storm over the U.S. Postal Service's role in implementing an executive order from President Donald Trump that restricts mail ballots. The order, signed this year, has drawn fierce criticism from Democrats who accuse Steiner of allowing Trump to weaponize the agency. Steiner, a former corporate executive, has defended his actions as necessary implementation of a lawful directive, even as he declined to endorse the policy as sound. Steiner Implements Trump Mail Ballot OrderWhen Trump signed the executive order restricting mail ballots, Steiner moved quickly to finalize a rule implementing the measure. He argued he had little choice, stating, "I don't get to decide what rules that are put on us that I decide to accept or not accept." He added that the Postal Service is an independent agency of the executive branch. After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the order, Steiner finalized the rule, prompting backlash from critics who say the agency should be shielded from politics.Steiner refused to endorse the Republican president's order as sound policy, saying he was focused on implementation and letting the courts ultimately decide. "We are an independent agency of the executive branch," he said, emphasizing his duty to follow the law. The episode has prompted fierce criticism, with some calling him a "Trump lackey." Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, recently asked Congress to deploy observers to ensure postal workers can scan envelopes holding mail ballots without disruption, saying the Trump administration "has attempted to weaponize federal agencies to interfere in our elections, and the leadership at USPS is going along with it." Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., accused Steiner of being a Trump "pawn" during a congressional hearing this summer.Political Pressure Mounts on USPS LeadershipDozens of congressional Democrats have pressed Steiner to reveal his interactions with the White House during the development of the mail ballot rule. A senator from Missouri, incensed by abandoned mail, called for Steiner's resignation and introduced legislation to block him from receiving a bonus. The criticism has been intense, but Steiner insists he is not a "political person" and has no intention of stepping down.During a lengthy interview with The Associated Press at the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, Steiner seemed surprised at points by his reception in Washington. He dismissed heated congressional appearances as "theater" at odds with more substantive private interactions on Capitol Hill. Steiner was chagrined, however, at the mention of his 2007 remarks on Trump, delivered well before he launched a political career. In those remarks, Steiner, then CEO of Waste Management, criticized a television portrayal of leadership, saying, "If that is leadership, if that's what we're telling people that our culture and our media portrays as leadership, we're screwed." He added, "And for God's sake, if I have to get my hair to look like that, if I have to do that to be a leader, you can definitely count me out." Steiner recalled speaking at the university but said he didn't remember his comments, acknowledging a tendency to be "flippant."Steiner's Background and Postal Service ChallengesThe White House didn't respond to a request for comment on Steiner's remarks or his stewardship of the Postal Service. The Postal Service dates to Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster general, whose portrait and bust are displayed in Steiner's office overlooking the Washington Wharf. The agency has more than 630,000 employees, dwarfing many Cabinet departments.While the quickest way to top jobs in Trump's Washington is often by writing big checks, the 66-year-old Steiner doesn't appear to have followed that course. He has largely donated to Republicans but also gave to John Kerry's Democratic presidential campaign in 2004. Unlike his predecessor as postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, who was a major Republican donor, Steiner's path to the role has been different. Born in Oakland, California, as one of eight children to a father who spent his career at Chevron, Steiner worked in corporate and securities law before moving to Waste Management in 2000. He became CEO in 2004 and ran the company for 12 years. He was also a longtime director at FedEx, where board chairman Brad Martin recalled him as "outcome oriented" and rarely political. "He's going to follow the rules. He's going to follow the law," Martin said.