WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A North Carolina businessman and Republican donor is set to become the next U.S. Postmaster General. His selection comes as the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is facing mounting financial problems amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Louis DeJoy is set to start his new job this June. He was picked unanimously by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.

A Greensboro businessman who worked in logistics, DeJoy is a long-time GOP donor and reported ally of President Donald Trump. Among other things, he recently  helped lead fundraising efforts for the upcoming Republican National Convention, scheduled for this August in Charlotte.

“Having worked closely with the Postal Service for many years, I have a great appreciation for this institution and the dedicated workers who faithfully execute its mission,” DeJoy said in a statement. “I commit myself to upholding the Postal Service’s cherished role in our nation.”

Last month, the outgoing head of the U.S. Postal Service warned that without help, the organization could run out of cash by this fall due to a drop in business sparked by the pandemic.

On Capitol Hill, many Democrats in particular want to see assistance for the Postal Service included in the next coronavirus aid package.

Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District, led a letter to House leaders this week, arguing Congress should approve tens of billions of dollars in aid for the USPS while also eliminating the service’s outstanding debt obligations. The letter also calls for hazard pay for USPS workers.

“We must take decisive steps to secure one of our country’s oldest, most cherished, and most valuable institutions,” the letter says.

But there is some skepticism among other lawmakers about pumping billions of dollars into the system.

“We're beyond the point in the United States where you can just funnel huge amounts of money into the open maw of government organizations and entities and never figure out how you’re going to get accountability out of it,” said Rep. Dan Bishop, R-9th District.

“We need accountability. Louis Dejoy will get accountability," Bishop continued.

Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly panned the USPS, calling them a “joke” and complaining they do not charge enough for Amazon deliveries.

Congress previously approved a $10 billion line of credit for the USPS in an earlier COVID-19 aid bill.

The Postal Service employs nearly 20,000 workers in North Carolina, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive, D.C.-based think tank.

Sarah Anderson, who directs the global economy project at the Institute for Policy Studies, argues that now is no time to let the USPS fail.

She notes that many people are relying on mail for food and supply deliveries during the pandemic. And, she says, USPS could play a key role in November when vote-by-mail is expected to be a popular option for voters wanting to stay home to avoid potential viral exposure.

“There's no reason why saving the postal service should be a partisan issue,” she says. “In fact, the areas that would be hardest hit tend to be heavily Republican, more rural areas.”