Washington – President Trump has said he opposes the Democrats’ demands to increase funding for the U.S. Postal Service because the money would be used to facilitate post-vote voting for the November election. .
In an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Mr. Trump criticized a $ 3.4 trillion coronavirus relief certificate passed by House Democrats in May, which included provisions that would provide $ 25 billion for the USPS and $ 3.5 billion in electoral assistance to states. The Senate has refused to act on the House bill, and negotiations between Democrats and the White House on a new relief package have stalled.
“They want $ 25 billion, billion, for the post office. Now, they need that money to work the post office so it can take all these millions and millions of ballots,” he said. Trump. “But if they do not get those two items, that means you can not have universal mail in the mood because they are not equipped to have it.”
Resint operational changes to the Postal Service have severely delayed mail delivery and raised concerns about how the service will handle the likely influx of mail-in ballots for the November elections.
Millions of voters will vote by mail in November because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has worries about voters gathering in polling stations. Delays in mail delivery may mean that voters do not get their absent votes on time to vote, or that their returned votes may be returned before the deadline.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, called the president’s remarks “pure Trump.”
“Pure Trump. He does not want elections,” Biden told reporters.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy pointed out that the operational changes to USPS, including the elimination of most overtime, have not made it any more difficult for voters to cast absent ballots.
“Let me be clear that the Postal Service and I are fully committed to the fulfillment of our role in the election process,” said DeJoy. said last week at a meeting of the Postal Service Board of Governors. “We will do everything we can to deliver election mail on time, comply with our operational standards, and despite all claims to the contrary, we will not delay election mail or other mail.”
Democratic lawmakers including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Carolyn Maloney last week called on the postal service inspector general to investigate DeJoy’s recent changes.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly voiced his opposition to voting by mail, insisting without evidence that the practice opens the door to possible voter fraud. His position also contradicts the views of several Republican administrators, who have pushed to make voting by post easier in the wake of the pandemic.
The President recently argued that voting by mail in Florida is safe. Florida is a major battlefield state, of which the president and his press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, have voted remotely in the past.
“Whether you call it the Vote by Post or Absentee Voting, in Florida the electoral system is safe and secure, tried and true,” wrote Mr. Trump in a tweetje last week. “Florida’s voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats’ attempts for change), so in Florida I encourage everyone to request a Ballot & Vote by mail! #MAGA”
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