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AFP
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the US Postal Service hard
Democrats in Congress have called for an inquiry into decisions made by the head of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which they say have delayed deliveries before the election.
There is expected to be a huge turnout in the mail-in vote in the November presidential vote, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Democrats have suggested that cuts at USPS could affect the vote.
But postal chief Louis DeJoy has insisted that standards will be met.
“While it is likely to be an unusual increase in the volume of election mail due to the pandemic, the Postal Service has a great deal of capacity to deliver all election mail safely and on time in accordance with our delivery standards, and we will do so,” the Trump supporter said. told a board meeting Friday.
But he said election officials had to “adhere to our normal processing and delivery standards”.
Top Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, on Friday called on the USPS Inspector General to investigate operational changes made by Mr DeJoy, including to prevent postal workers from working overtime to deliver mail.
Given the continuing concerns about the adverse effects of the Trump administration’s policy on the quality and efficiency of the Postal Service, we ask that you review all operational changes that are in place by Mr DeJoy and others. Trump administration officials in 2020, “she said.
They asked for the survey to focus specifically on how this could affect election-related post.
President Donald Trump has suggested that increased postal voting in November could lead to fraud and inaccurate results. There is not much evidence to support his views.
Mr. DeJoy insisted on Friday that USPS “did not delay election post or any other post”.
While he had “good relations” with Mr. Trump, “the idea that I would ever make decisions about the Post Office in the direction of the president, or anyone else in the administration, is completely off-base,” he said. .
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A spokesman for the Postal Service said it would welcome an inquiry by the inspector general into the changes being made to make the service “more efficient”.
New York City primary elections on June 23 were hit hard by counting delays following an increase in post-in polls, leaving two congressional races several weeks without a winner.
That vote has been seen by some as a warning of what could happen in the November elections.
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The U.S. Postal Service lost $ 2.2bn (£ 1.7bn) in the three months to June and is in a “difficult” financial position, said Mr DeJoy, who also published details of a renewal of leadership on Friday. of the agency, including a management hire freeze.
The Republican donor took over USPS in June and is the first postmaster general in nearly 20 years to be appointed from outside the bureau, the Associated Press reports.
Changes he has made to cut costs threaten “the timely delivery of mail – including medicine for seniors, wages for workers, and absentee ballots for voters,” Ms Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said on Thursday.
The couple met Wednesday with Mr. DeJoy and White House officials in a meeting that Mr. Schumer described as “heated.”
According to the Washington Post, the USPS leadership shakes up or relocates 23 top executives.
