Updated Aug 15, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pelosi considers recalling House for Postal Service vote

Axios

Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is pictured after a television interview in Russell Building on Friday, August 14 — Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders discussed Saturday the possibility of bringing the House back early to act on what they see as a crisis with the Postal Service, a House Democratic aide told Axios.

Why it matters: The House is on recess and no votes are scheduled until September, but a vote on the matter could be held within two weeks, per Politico, which first reported the news.

Of note: The Democrats discussed the move during a 5:30 p.m. call — hours after demonstrators rallied outside the home of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to protest his leadership amid allegations of limiting mail-in voting ahead of the 2020 general election.

The state of play: Congress is seeking $25 billion in aid for USPS ahead of an anticipated spike in mail-in voting this November due to the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump has said he intends to block the vote, unless Democrats agree to some Republican compromises in the coronavirus stimulus bill.

DeJoy has overseen a leadership shake-up of the postal service and eliminated overtime and certain delivery policies — which congressional Democrats and some state and local officials have criticized, expressing concern that the overhaul could disenfranchise voters and delay election results.

What they're saying: Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Friday that Trump and congressional Republicans in Congress had waged an "all-out assault on the Postal Service and its role in ensuring the integrity of the 2020 election."

Go deeper: Trump says postmaster general wants to make USPS "great again"

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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Pelosi considers recalling House for Postal Service vote

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