As President Trump continued to try to sow doubts about the election with his latest assault on mail-in balloting, the postmaster general announced Tuesday that he would suspend cost-cutting initiatives at the United States Postal Service until after November.
The announcement by the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, came amid growing pressure from lawmakers, state attorneys general and civil rights groups, who have warned that the changes being made could disenfranchise Americans casting ballots by mail to avoid long lines during the pandemic. And it came as several states moved forward Tuesday with plans to sue the Trump administration over the election-year changes at the Postal Service.
"There are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic," Mr. DeJoy said in a statement.
"To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded."
His announcement came as the attorney general of Washington State, Bob Ferguson, said he would lead a coalition of states filing a lawsuit in federal court charging that the changes could undermine the general election in November. Other states, including California, Pennsylvania, and New York also said that they planned to file or join lawsuits.
"For partisan gain, President Trump is attempting to destroy a critical institution that is essential for millions of Americans," Mr. Ferguson said in a statement. "We rely on the Postal Service for our Social Security benefits, prescriptions — and exercising our right to vote."
Mr. Trump had continued to try to question the integrity of the election on Tuesday morning, and continued his assault on mail-in voting. .
Mr. DeJoy vowed that retail hours at the post office would not change, that no mail processing facilities would be closed, and that overtime would continue to be approved.
In a sign of the severity of the backlash, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had summoned lawmakers back from their annual summer recess to vote on legislation put forward by House Democrats that would revoke policy changes until Jan. 1, 2021, or the end of the pandemic, as well as include $25 billion in funding for the beleaguered agency.
Mr. DeJoy is still expected to face tough questioning about the changes at two congressional hearings in the coming days, including a virtual Senate hearing on Friday and a House Oversight Committee hearing on Monday.
— Emily Cochrane, Michael Cooper and Katie Rogers
New York Times, August 18, 2020
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August 18, 2020
Voices4America Post Script. Today, Senate Intel Committee said Trump and Roger Stone lied about their efforts to coordinate with Russia through Wikileaks. Now #CriminalLouisDeJoy tries to distract us, claiming he will be a good boy and let our Postal Service work. Trump claims to pardon Susan B. Anthony who would have never taken his pardon. Want to buy a bridge? #BidenHarris2020
Let thenHearings Begin!
