The House is expected to vote Saturday on legislation that would provide an additional $ 25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service and reverse recent operational changes that critics say delayed mail delivery. The bill, entitled ‘Delivering for America Act’, would also ensure that the Postal Service could not implement operational changes until January 2021, following the November elections.
Saturday’s rare session highlights the agency’s importance during the coronavirus pandemic and ahead of the November presidential vote.
The House of Representatives handed over a massive $ 3 trillion coronavirus relief certificate in May, which would have provided $ 25 billion for the Postal Service. However, Senate Republicans have refused to consider the legislation, and Congressional Democrats and White House officials have not reached a deal on a relief bill.
While Democrats have sounded alarms about changes, such as eliminating most overtime and ending additional deliveries, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has said changes will not affect the delivery of election mail. He said in a hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security on Friday that his “number one priority” is to ensure election post is received on time.
“As we approach the election season, I want to assure this commission, and the American public, that the Postal Service is fully capable of delivering the nation’s election post safely and on time,” DeJoy said.
He also expressed support for mail voting, telling senators, “I think the American public should be able to vote by mail, and the Postal Service will support it.”
However, DeJoy has not promised to share a plan on how the Postal Service will manage a stream of mail-in votes for the November elections. He also said he would not repair mailboxes and sorting machines that have been removed, saying the protocol was to cut back on these services.
DeJoy is expected to testify for the House of Commons committee on Monday, where he is likely to grill Democratic members.
Although the bill is likely to pass in the Democratic House, its future is uncertain in the Republican-controlled Senate. Some Republicans in Congress have accused Democrats of overcoming a crisis for their own election campaign. The Democratic convention last week included several segments condemning the recent slowdown in mail delivery.
Democrats say they are concerned that President Trump is deliberately trying to restrict mail delivery to make casting absentee ballots more difficult. The President said earlier this month he was opposed to additional funding for the Postal Service, as voting rights by post would be made easier. He then reverse course, told reporters he would sign a bill that provided an additional $ 25 billion for the Postal Service.
Mr. Trump has flip-flopped when voting by post, promoting unfounded claims that casting absentee ballots leads to widespread voter fraud. However, he has garnered encouraging votes by mail in states such as Florida, which is a critical swing state in the November election.
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