WASHINGTON – Amid growing concerns about the health of the U.S. Postal Service ahead of the November 3 election, David Williams, who was fired as Vice President of the USPS Board of Governors in April, is planning to giving private briefing to a group of House Democrats told two people familiar with the plan to NBC News on Thursday.
The two men said Williams, who will appear before the House Progressive Caucus, had resigned amid what he saw as President Donald Trump’s unforgivable influence over the independent administration of the USPS and the process of selecting the new postmaster general.
“Williams was very concerned about the politicization of the postal service. He was someone we were looking for to stand up and protect the postal service, “a former Democratic aide told NBC News.
Williams, a former postal inspector with a long career in public service and government oversight, was able to help Democrats find answers about how Louis DeJoy, a prolific Republican fundraiser and Trump campaign donor, was elected Postmaster -general. DeJoy’s financial revelations also raise questions about potential conflict of interest.
The briefing was organized Monday night in coordination with House Speaker Carolyn Maloney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Trump has criticized the Postal Service for years, calling it a ‘delivery boy’ for Amazon and other private retail delivery services he says has weakened the publicly funded agency.
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Recently, Trump has unprovenly suggested that the expected enormous increase in mail-to-vote voting due to the coronavirus pandemic will lead to widespread voter fraud.
DeJoy’s office has coincided with a reduction in e-mail service and widespread operational problems, including the removal of public mailboxes and sorting machines at post offices around the country.
Williams announced his resignation days before DeJoy was appointed to the position in May. His briefing with the Democrats will take place prior to a House hearing for oversight of the Postal Service next week where DeJoy is scheduled to appear.
Stephen Crawford, a former USPS board member under President Barack Obama, told NBC News that at the time it happened, Williams’ departure was a concern for the Postal Service, which has been struggling financially for years even because of the coronavirus pandemic. a decrease in the letter postal volume and an expensive pension plan for his retirees.
“When David Williams retired, I knew we were in serious trouble,” he said, adding that Williams “knew postal services in and out.”
Williams declined to comment when contacted by NBC News.
The board of directors of the USPS was designed to function much like a board of trustees of a private company. The board is supposed to consist of nine members, but only six of the slots are currently filled and all appointed by Trump – two Democrats and four Republicans. Two of the three unfinished spots are Democratic positions.
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Democrats support their control of the council itself, with sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sends a letter reminding members that they have the power to reverse decisions by the Postmaster-General.
Crawford told NBC News that he has included a 10-year plan devised last summer by a White House postal force to make the USPS solvent. Crawford said he was ready to testify when members of Congress planned hearings on the case, but no one had materialized.
Crawford acknowledged that there had been efforts long before DeJoy’s appointment to streamline some USPS functions in light of its financial challenges, including closing some mail processing centers. But Crawford said it was still DeJoy’s responsibility to ensure that the Postal Service could fulfill its responsibilities.
‘If you were independent, you would say’ keep it up, we’re in the middle of the coronavirus and trying to send to the polls by post to allow an election and so old people and all sorts of vulnerable people can vote , ” said Crawford. “Why wouldn’t you take some extraordinary measures like you do for a Christmas month?”
In March, as part of the CARES law, Congress approved up to $ 10 billion in loan funds for the Postal Service to offset losses related to the coronavirus. However, it was not until July that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and USPS finally agreed on the terms of the loan.
One notable claim as part of the deal: The Postal Service had to disclose its own, negotiated service agreements with companies including Amazon, Fedex and UPS.
