House Democratic leaders told rank-and-file members they will reconvene Saturday to vote on a measure to bolster funding for the U.S. Postal Service by $25 billion and block any changes to the service ahead of the November election.
“Members expressed the overwhelming sentiment of their constituents on both sides of the aisle that we must keep the USPS funded and secure,” an aide to Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said. “In addition, they articulated their major concerns around the upcoming election and what delayed or uncounted ballots may mean for a free and fair election.”
The House planned to be in recess until Sept. 14, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to reconvene after postal union officials complained President Trump’s reform-minded postmaster was making it harder to deliver the mail on time. They claim sorting machines were moved and overtime was cut, slowing delivery. The post office, last week, also warned most states it may not be able to deliver ballots in time to be counted in the Nov. 3 election.
Democrats in May passed a coronavirus aid bill that would have provided $25 billion to the USPS, which is heavily in debt and is not able to fund its pension adequately.
Republicans rejected the amount, and Trump officials instead offered $10 billion, which was rejected by Pelosi.
Now, Pelosi plans to bring a bill to the floor that would both prohibit changes to post office services and provide the additional $25 billion.
Democrats accuse Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of implanting changes to hinder the post office ahead of the November election. They also accuse DeJoy, a prominent GOP donor, of having a conflict of interest because of his investment in Amazon.
The $25 billion is equal to what was recommended by the USPS Board of Governors, a Democratic aide told the Washington Examiner.
The Trump administration denied the post office is making changes to slow down mail delivery. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, told lawmakers on a conference call Monday “the USPS inspector general, at the request of House and Senate Democrats, has agreed to investigate all recent staffing and policy changes put in place under Postmaster General DeJoy and will also review his conflicts of interest.”
