Postmaster says election mail will go through

WASHINGTON — New Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Friday he has no plans to restore mailboxes and other agency cuts made since he took over in June, sparking fresh questions over how the Postal Service will ensure timely delivery of an expected surge of mailin ballots for the November election.

It was DeJoy’s first time publicly answering questions since summer mail delays brought a public outcry. Testifying

before a Senate committee, he said it was his “sacred duty” that ballots arrive on time.

DeJoy declared that the Postal Service “is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on-time.” He distanced himself from Trump’s objections about widescale mail-in voting and said ensuring ballots arrive was his “No. 1 priority between now and Election Day.”

The new postmaster general is facing a backlash over changes since his arrival.

DeJoy promised this week to postpone any further changes until after the election, saying he wanted to avoid even the perception of interference.

But DeJoy stood by a new rule that limits late delivery trips, which several postal workers have said is a major cause of delivery delays. He vowed more changes are coming to postal operations after November.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-8tah, said the public’s concern is understandable.

“Do you have a more detailed plan"” asked Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, asking for it by Sunday.

“I don’t think we’ll have a complete plan by Sunday night,” DeJoy replied, acknowledging it was just being formed.

He is expected to testify before the House on Monday.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, defended the postmaster and dismissed the Democratic claims of election “sabotage.”

Johnson, of Wisconsin, said public outcry over the mail smacked of “ginned up” effort to rally voters — a “political hit job.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is eyeing a $10 billion postal rescue as part of the next COVID-19 relief package. The White

House has said it would be open to more postal funding as part of a broader bill.

The Postal Service has been struggling financially under a decline in mail volume, COVID-related costs and a rare and critics say cumbersome congressional requirement to fund in advance its retiree health care benefits.

For many, the Postal Service provides a lifeline, delivering not just cards and letters but also prescription drugs, financial statements and other items that are especially needed by mail during the pandemic.

The postal board of governors, appointed by Trump, selected DeJoy to take his job. He previously owned a logistics business that was a longtime Postal Service contractor.

Republicans have long sought postal reforms to run the agency more like a private company, and Trump often complains the Postal Service should be charging Amazon and other companies higher rates for package deliveries. Mnuchin told Schumer he was reviewing those contracts.

Others say the Postal Service is not expected to be solely a money-making enterprise, often delivering to far-flung places where it is not efficient to operate.