BEDMINSTER, N.J. — The Democratic-run House on Sunday demanded that leaders of the U.S. Postal Service testify at an emergency oversight listening to Aug. 24 on mail delays as considerations develop that the Trump White House is making an attempt to undermine the company throughout the coronavirus pandemic whilst states increase mail-in balloting choices for the November presidential election.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee mentioned it needs to listen to from new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and from the chair of the Postal Service board of governors, Robert “Mike” Duncan. With heightened scrutiny of its operations, the company is now inquiring for a short lived preelection price building up, from mid-October via Christmas, even supposing now not for first class letters.
The company didn’t right away reply to requests for remark about whether or not the 2 males would seem sooner than the House committee. But it mentioned Sunday it will forestall putting off its unique blue mailboxes via mid-November following proceedings from consumers and participants of Congress that the gathering containers have been being taken away.
“Given the new buyer considerations the Postal Service will delay putting off containers for a duration of 90 days whilst we evaluation our consumers’ considerations,’’ mentioned Postal Service spokeswoman Kimberly Frum.
The announcement comes as power will increase on DeJoy, a big Republican donor and best friend of the president who took keep watch over of the company in June. DeJoy has pledged to modernize the money-losing company to make it extra environment friendly, and has eradicated maximum additional time for postal staff, imposed restrictions on transportation and lowered of the volume and use of mail-processing apparatus.
“The postmaster general and top Postal Service leadership must answer to the Congress and the American people as to why they are pushing these dangerous new policies that threaten to silence the voices of millions, just months before the election,” congressional Democrats mentioned in a observation pronouncing the listening to.
The lawmakers integrated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the committee chair, together with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the highest Democrat at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Postal Service.
Trump mentioned remaining week that he used to be blocking off a $25 billion emergency injection sought by way of the Postal Service, in addition to a Democratic proposal to supply $3.6 billion in more election cash to the states. The Republican president worries that mail-in balloting may value him reelection. The cash for the publish workplace is meant to assist with processing an anticipated surge of mail-in ballots. Both investment requests had been tied up in congressional negotiations over a brand new coronavirus aid package deal.
On Saturday, Trump attempted to therapeutic massage his message, announcing he helps expanding cash for the Postal Service. He mentioned he used to be refusing to capitulate to Democrats on different portions of the relaxation package deal, together with investment for states weighed down by way of debt amassed sooner than the pandemic.
But the president’s critics weren’t appeased, contending that Trump has made the calculation {that a} decrease voter turnout would make stronger his probabilities of profitable a 2d time period.
“What you are witnessing is a president of the United States who is doing everything he can to suppress the vote, make it harder for people to engage in mail-in balloting at a time when people will be putting their lives on the line by having to go out to a polling station and vote,” mentioned Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Earlier this month, Maloney’s committee had invited DeJoy to seem Sept. 17 at a listening to that specialize in operational adjustments to the Postal Service which might be inflicting delays in mail deliveries.
But after Trump stated in a Fox Business interview on Thursday that he’s ravenous the company of cash to make it more difficult to procedure an anticipated surge of mail-in ballots, the committee made up our minds to transport…