House Oversight Committee subpoenas Postmaster General Louis DeJoy
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Aug. 24. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Pool
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Wednesday for records related to recent operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service and information about mail delivery delays, AP reports.
Why it matters: Democratic lawmakers have sounded the alarm in recent weeks over cost-cutting measures and modifications to mail-processing practices that they fear could delay election mail, disenfranchise voters and delay election results.
Context: DeJoy denied in a combative hearing before the committee on Aug. 24 that he was seeking to "sabotage" election mail, but would not commit to reversing changes.
- DeJoy said in a letter to the committee that he trusts his testimony "clarified any outstanding questions you had."
- House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said Monday she would issue a subpoena to DeJoy, claiming that he had failed to respond to a voluntary request for documents.
- He has "not produced a single additional document since the House and Senate hearings were held," according to Maloney.
Details: The subpoena requests all documents "referring or relating to proposed or actual changes to operations, policies, practices, or standards."
- It asks that DeJoy share communications between him and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and any other White House officials or members of the Trump campaign.
- It also asks for the term sheet for the $10 billion loan to the USPS from the CARES Act.
What she's saying: “This subpoena includes in one place many requests previously made by Members of the House and Senate in writing and directly to Mr. DeJoy during his in-person testimony,” Maloney wrote.
- “The subpoena clarifies a number of previous requests based on information obtained to date in order to ensure that it captures all documents within the requested categories, and it also makes clear as a legal matter that the production of these documents is mandatory.”
Worth noting: Postal Service Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb is also reviewing the policy changes, along with potential conflicts of interest involving DeJoy, following a request from Democrats.