Democrats slam postal overhaul

The U.S. Postal Service overhauled its organizational structure, and Democrats called for an investigation into whether the changes implemented by President Donald Trump’s postmaster general pose a threat to mail-in ballots for the November election.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Friday said the new structure, organized around three business units, will increase efficiency by reducing costs and boosting revenue.

The announcement prompted criticism from Democrats, who have already raised alarms over mail delays that they worry will skew the election results if ballots aren’t returned in time. At stake are votes in 34 states — including almost all the presidential battlegrounds — that won’t count mail-in ballots unless they are received on or before Election Day, even if the ballots are mailed on time and subject to post office slowdowns.

Interest in voting by mail is expected to spike this year as many Americans try to avoid public settings, such as polling-place lines, during the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is deliberate sabotage to disrupt mail service on the eve of the election — an election that hinges on mail-in ballots,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who chairs the House subcommittee on government operations. “Postmaster General DeJoy should be focused on ensuring delivery standards, not this Trojan horse reorganization.”

Connolly was among Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who wrote to the Postal Service’s inspector general Friday asking for an investigation into staffing and policy changes implemented by DeJoy, a Republican donor appointed in May.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who also joined the letter, said Saturday in a statement that the operational changes at the Postal Service were “inappropriate” so close to the election.

“The drastic changes to the Postal Service by an overtly partisan Postmaster General are another example of the president’s attempts to prevent millions of Americans from having their votes counted,” she said.