Aug 19, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pelosi says postmaster general won't commit to reversing USPS changes

Nancy Pelosi at the podium

Nancy Pelosi. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called out Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Wednesday, saying his alleged suspension of operational changes and cost-cutting "is wholly insufficient and does not reverse damage already wreaked."

The big picture: Pelosi said that a conversation with DeJoy revealed the USPS has no intention of replacing the sorting machines, mailboxes and other mail infrastructure that has already been removed. On Tuesday, DeJoy promised to halt changes until after the 2020 election, a move Pelosi criticized as "misleading."

What she's saying: "The Postmaster General frankly admitted that he had no intention of replacing the sorting machines, blue mailboxes and other key mail infrastructure that have been removed and that plans for adequate overtime, which is critical for the timely delivery of mail, are not in the works," Pelosi said in a statement.

  • "All of these changes directly jeopardize the election and disproportionately threaten to disenfranchise voters in communities of color."
  • "The Postal Service is Election Central during the pandemic, and Democrats will not allow the President to force Americans to choose between their health and their vote."
Go deeper