PELOSI SAYS POSTMASTER HAS NO PLANS TO RESTORE MAIL CUTS
Despite assurances, Postal Service hit with federal lawsuit over delivery disruptions
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service faced more questions and a federal lawsuit Wednesday over mail disruptions, despite assurances by President Donald Trump’s postmaster general of no more service changes until after the November election — a pledge made only after a public outcry.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told her he has no intention of restoring removed blue mailboxes or sorting equipment and no plans for employee overtime. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said officials are withholding information about DeJoy’s selection to the job. With the agency in turmoil, civil and voting rights advocates are suing to bring mail operations back to normal.
Pelosi, D-Calif., said she told DeJoy in a phone call that his decision for a temporary pause was “wholly insufficient and does not reverse damage already wreaked.”
The uproar over the Postal Service is expected to spill out Friday as DeJoy testifies before the Senate, and Saturday as the House convenes for a rare session. The House is set to vote on legislation to reverse the service changes and provide $25 billion to shore up operations.
Widespread mail disruptions have stunned Americans and led to warnings that Trump is trying to undermine the Postal Service as he rails against mail-in ballots just as millions of people are trying vote absentee to avoid polling places during the COVID-19 crisis.
Civil and voting rights organizations said Wednesday they are suing to immediately halt the changes and restore operations.
“We need guarantees in place that this will not happen again, prior to the election,” said Virginia Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters.
At the White House, Trump’s team has insisted the president has no intention of disrupting mail delivery now or before Election Day.
But Trump leveled more attacks on absentee voting. “IF YOU CAN PROTEST IN PERSON, YOU CAN VOTE IN PERSON!” the president tweeted.
DeJoy, a former supply chain CEO, is a Republican donor, and the first postmaster general who did not come from the ranks of the Postal Service. He has pledged to revamp the Postal Service, which has struggled financially ever since 2006, confronting a decline in first-class mail and a new requirement to pre-fund its employee retiree health care benefits.
On Tuesday, DeJoy said he was halting those initiatives until after the election “to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail.”
“We will deliver the nation’s election mail on time,” DeJoy said in a statement.