Postmaster general to testify before Senate committee on Friday
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Mailboxes in Morris Plains, New Jersey on August 17. Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is scheduled to give his first testimony on recent changes to the U.S. Postal Service to the Republican-led Senate Homeland Security Committee on Friday, the Washington Post first reported.
Why it matters: It will be DeJoy's first opportunity to answer questions since lawmakers began raising alarms about widespread disruptions to the Postal Service, which some Democrats allege President Trump is attempting to undermine ahead of an election that will see a record number of mail-in ballots.
- On Tuesday, DeJoy said in a statement that he would halt operational changes and cost-cutting to the U.S. Postal Service until after the 2020 election to "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail."
- DeJoy, a wealthy businessman and longtime Republican fundraiser, will also appear before the House Oversight Committee next Monday.
Driving the news: Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called back the House to vote on Saturday on $25 billion in additional USPS funding to offset the expected avalanche of mail-in voting for the 2020 election. The bill Democrats have proposed would also "prohibit the Postal Service from dialing back levels of service it had in place" on Jan. 1 until the pandemic ends.
- Meanwhile, the USPS inspector general is reviewing the organization's recent policy changes after lawmakers claimed that DeJoy's cost cuts could delay election mail.
- The service alerted 46 states and Washington, D.C. at the end of July that it cannot ensure ballots sent by mail in the general election will arrive in time to be counted.
What they're saying: “I am pleased that immense pressure from Senate Democrats and the American people have forced Senate Republicans to confront Postmaster General DeJoy’s ongoing sabotage of the Postal Service that threatens the integrity of our elections and delays vital services," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement on Tuesday.
Go deeper: Postal slowdown threatens election breakdown
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include DeJoy's announcement that he will suspend changes to the USPS until after the election.
