House Democrats have warned of a nefarious plot by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to slow mail service ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election so many mail-in ballots don’t get counted. House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and colleagues will have the chance to grill DeJoy in a hearing on Sept. 18.
The five-week time lag reflects a gap between what House Democrats say are efforts to thwart illegal and unconstitutional actions by President Trump and their actual schedule for doing so.
Also, Democratic congressional leaders’ plan to recess for the next month came as a surprise to many who were hoping both parties could come to an agreement for a new stimulus package in the wake of the economic catastrophe caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The House will only be in session for just over two weeks in the latter half of September and into early October.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the chamber could return if a deal is reached on a stimulus package.
“I continue to urge Republicans to work with us to take immediate action to provide desperately needed relief during this coronavirus pandemic before we can begin the August district work period,” said Hoyer, a Democrat, Monday. “The House continues to be on 24-hours notice to return for votes on COVID-related legislation.”
But Democrats essentially abandoning in-person meetings as the economy continues to falter has given Trump the chance to reposition himself as a leader, especially as Trump’s poll numbers sink and a majority of voters say they trust his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, to handle the pandemic better than him.
Last week, the president signed four executive orders and memorandums to help provide relief to those harmed by the economic toll of the coronavirus, including an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits using money from an untapped federal hurricane fund. The president also signed an executive order suspending the collection of payroll taxes for people earning less than $100,000.
The Biden campaign and its allies responded to Trump’s order by calling it a danger to entitlement programs, such as Social Security, which in part depend on payroll tax collections to fund their trusts.
“One order is Donald Trump’s first shot in a new, reckless war on Social Security. Trump announced a payroll tax plan with no protections or guarantees — like the ones the Obama-Biden administration enforced a decade ago — that the Social Security Trust Fund will be made whole,” Biden wrote in a statement to the press. “And, Trump specifically stated today that if re-elected, he plans to undermine the entire financial footing of Social Security.”
Trump also attempted to get ahead of Democrats by looking into providing eviction protections for tenants who cannot make rent or mortgage payments at the end of the month, due to either unemployment or significantly cut back wages. Eviction protections have been at the top of the list for progressive activists, who warn that millions of people are at risk of being effectively homeless at the end of the month.
Trump’s actions also relieved pressure on Republicans in the Senate, whose current bill contains nothing for rent relief. House Democrats passed a bill in May that extended eviction protections for one year and provided $100 billion for emergency rental assistance. Many Republicans in the Senate have expressed reluctance in passing another stimulus bill in the trillions, citing concerns about the deficit.
On Sunday, the president’s reelection campaign sent out a text message to supporters boasting of the move as Biden has largely been confined to his Wilmington, Delaware, home.
“I signed 4 Exec Orders to help the American People. What did the Swamp do? NOTHING.” the text read. “Show them where YOU stand. Act Now for 5X-MATCH.”
