House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill on Wednesday to prohibit the United States Postal Service (USPS) from making changes to the operations and organizational structure of the agency amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill comes as Americans are likely to rely on mail-in voting more during this election than the previous one.
“Our Postal Service should not become an instrument of partisan politics, but instead must be protected as a neutral, independent entity that focuses on one thing and one thing only—delivering the mail. Millions of people rely on the Postal Service every day to communicate, to access critical medications, and to vote,” Maloney said in a statement.
She continued:
“At this juncture in our nation’s history, when the number of Americans voting by mail for this Presidential election is expected to more than double from the last, Congress must protect the right of all eligible citizens to have their vote counted. A once-in-a-century pandemic is no time to enact changes that threaten service reliability and transparency. The Delivering for America Act would reverse these changes so this fundamental American service can continue unimpeded.”
After visiting the U.S. Postal Service Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, Maloney concluded making these changes would be “detrimental” to both the agency and Americans.
Maloney called the Trump administration’s decision to implement changes in the midst of the outbreak and within a few months of the election “irresponsible.”
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy unveiled plans for big changes on Friday, as IJR previously reported.
These changes include a management hiring freeze, a request for future voluntary early retirements, and a reduction in postal service regions.
During an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, President Donald Trump railed against Democrats for calling for more funding for the postal service, as IJR previously reported.
He indicated if more funding for the agency is not included in the next stimulus package, Democrats “can’t have universal mail-in voting.”
