USPS chief vows on-time ballot mail
He slams ‘false narrative’ in Senate testimony
WASHINGTON – In a contentious hearing, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy defended controversial changes at the Postal Service amid concerns about an expected surge in mail-in ballots during the election in November.
DeJoy testified in person before the House Oversight Committee with Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Robert Duncan, who testified virtually.
Democrats hammered DeJoy over delays in the mail and his refusal to replace sorting machines and mailboxes that were removed under his tenure. Republicans defended the two officials and said the controversy has been inflated for political purposes.
In her opening remarks, committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., told the two officials Americans “don’t want anyone messing with the post office, and they certainly don’t want it politicized.” Her office released documents Saturday showing widespread delays in mail delivery at the Postal Service starting in July, weeks after DeJoy started his tenure as postmaster general. DeJoy, a GOP donor, was appointed to that job in mid-June by the agency’s board of governors.
Maloney accused DeJoy of “downplaying the damage you’re causing.”
DeJoy acknowledged delays in service were in part caused by changes at the Postal Service but defended his agency’s actions and committed to delivering election mail on time.
“We will do everything we can to handle and deliver election mail in a manner consistent with the proven processes and procedures that we have relied upon for years,” he said.
The postmaster general told lawmakers some of the service delays were caused by inadequate staffing, and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect operations. He said 83 workers have died from COVID-19.
Asked by Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., about who ordered the organizational changes, DeJoy said he did not know, nor did he commit to reversing the changes.
DeJoy slammed what he called a “false narrative” that he made changes to disrupt the delivery of election mail, which Democratic lawmakers have alleged. The operational and delivery schedule changes, he said, were necessary for the Postal Service to move toward
a “path of sustainability.”
Under questioning from Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., DeJoy said he told friends associated with Donald Trump’s campaign that the president’s attacks on voting by mail were “not helpful,” though he declined to identify the people or the substance of his conversations.
Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the top
Republican on the committee, called the controversy “hysterical frenzy.”
Duncan defended the Board of Governors’ selection of DeJoy, telling lawmakers he was “picked for his private sector experience” to help fix a “broken business model.”
David Williams, a former Postal Service Board member who resigned this year in part because of DeJoy’s selection, told lawmakers last week DeJoy “didn’t strike me as a serious candidate” during the selection process and raised concerns about his appointment.
Saturday, the House came back from its August recess to pass a measure that would provide $25 billion for the Postal Service, legislation the service said would “constrain” its ability to make changes. The bill is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Saturday the Senate would “absolutely not pass stand-alone legislation for the Postal Service” without a broader coronavirus relief package, and the White House said Friday it would veto the bill, calling it an “overreaction to sensationalized media reports.”
The two postal officials faced a harsher reception before the House committee than DeJoy did at his appearance Friday before a Senate panel, when he acknowledged delays in mail delivery but steadfastly denied political motivations. After the outcry over the changes, DeJoy said last week he would suspend some changes until after the election to avoid the appearance of impropriety, but Democrats said they want him to commit to reversing changes already made.
“I want to assure this committee and the American public that the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely,” DeJoy told senators, explaining the Postal Service was in discussions with election officials to prepare for the fall and would send a letter in September to every American about the process.
Many states expanded voting by mail to reduce crowds on Election Day and provide an alternative to in-person voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past several weeks, the issue boiled over and caused congressional Democrats to call for DeJoy’s resignation. Several states sued the Postal Service, and Republican senators sent letters to DeJoy expressing concerns about the cuts to service.
A move to stop treating all election mail as first-class – which could mean a delay of up to eight days from prior elections – cutbacks in overtime and a ban on “late” or “extra” delivery trips were among the shifts in service that worried lawmakers. DeJoy said Monday he would resume some of the cost-cutting measures, including the effort to improve delivery times, after the election.