WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior Democrats on a House of Representatives oversight committee wrote to the new postmaster general on Monday to pressure him on reports that the service was prepared to delay mail delivery if necessary to cut costs. , a measure that could affect the mail-in ballot results.
Losses from the US Postal Service have skyrocketed even as it has become more critical to the US economy, as consumers, confined to their homes due to the coronavirus, shop online. A determination to avoid crowds will also mean that voting by mail will be more popular this November.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump-appointed person who took office in June, has detailed changes to the service including the elimination of overtime, even if that means mail delivery is delayed.
“While these changes in a normal year would be drastic, in a presidential election year when many states rely heavily on absentee mail ballots, increases in mail delivery time would affect the ability to receive and count ballots in a timely manner – an unacceptable result for a free and fair election, “wrote Representative Carolyn Maloney, chair of a government operations subcommittee of the Oversight and Reform Committee.
The letter was also signed by Representative Gerald Connolly, chair of a national security subcommittee, and Representatives Stephen Lynch and Brenda Lawrence.
In a statement, Postal Service spokesman Dave Partenheimer said the agency was working on a plan to ensure it was financially stable. “It will certainly include new and creative ways for us to accomplish our mission,” he said.
The Postal Service has been struggling as email and social media have replaced letters and after a 2006 law required it to pre-finance employee pension and retirement costs for the next 75 years. It is financed through services and postage.
President Donald Trump has frequently criticized the post office, saying he charges very little to deliver packages shipped by online retailers like Amazon.com, whose founder and CEO Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Dan Grebler and Leslie Adler)
