USPS head DeJoy spars with lawmakers
He tells House panel mail delays were because of the pandemic
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy acknowledged failures in the delivery of holiday mail in an appearance Wednesday on Capitol Hill but blamed the delays on the coronavirus pandemic and what he said were long-festering problems within the U.S. Postal Service.
DeJoy, a longtime Republican donor and ally of President Donald Trump, stirred outrage shortly after he was named postmaster general in May 2020 by ordering the removal of mail-sorting machines in postal facilities, cutting overtime for mail carriers and making other controversial changes.
While Democrats questioned him at the hearing of the House Oversight Committee, DeJoy remained defiant, telling Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., that he would oversee the Postal Service for “a long time. Get used to me.”
Lawmakers have expressed alarm over slow deliveries of prescription medicines and other items for veterans, seniors and other Americans who rely on the mail service as a lifeline.
Tempers flared at the hearing, where DeJoy was asked about the downsizing of some postal operations and other cuts that may affect postal workers’ benefits and salaries. DeJoy also was questioned about the service’s operations during the elections and ongoing deliveries amid the pandemic.
The Postal Service has struggled with financial problems as shipping rates have declined and the service’s obligations to fund health benefits for its retired workers burdened its balance sheets. As a semiprivate entity, the service mostly funds itself through shipping fees; it is not taxpayer-funded but remains under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
DeJoy promised to put the Postal Service on a more sound financial footing while ensuring performance. But he said that the service has had “persistent problems” and that the “erosion has been going on for years.”
DeJoy acknowledged that during the holidays, service “fell far short of meeting our service targets,” calling operations during peak season a “failure.”
“We need to frankly confront the problems we face, be candid and realistic about the magnitude of the solutions we require, and embrace the few, crucial, elements of legislative help we need from the Congress,” he said.
Oversight Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., noted that an investigation from the Inspector General found DeJoy “did not adequately assess the impacts of his changes on service, and he did not adequately consult with Congress and others before he did so.”
“Many people – across the country and on this panel – have grave concerns. And recent events have aggravated them,” Maloney said.
Other Democrats asked DeJoy about delays and potential downsizing plans in their districts.
“How is there common sense behind changing an organization in the middle of a pandemic?” Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., asked DeJoy, criticizing several early policies the postmaster general implemented last summer.
“That is a lack of management,” she said, adding “you haven’t shown leadership and now you’d like to rip (the service) apart.” DeJoy said the characterization “wasn’t accurate” and that the service’s problems are “multidimensional.”
DeJoy pushed back on the criticism.
“No, I won’t commit to that,” DeJoy told Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., when asked if he would commit to expanding sorting machines and enacting greater local control of post offices.
“You can sit here and think that I’ve brought all this damage to the Postal Service, but the place was operationally faulty long before I took office,” he said at another point,outlining what he said were efforts to make the agency more efficient.
“The Postal Service exists in a nation where the pandemic is present also,” DeJoy reminded lawmakers in discussing its limited performance in 2020.
DeJoy repeatedly defended his plans for the agency. “We’re not out to profit, we’re out to break even. That’s all this is about,” he said, contending that legislation, “operational improvements” and potential price increases are necessary next steps for the Postal Service.