Democrats, election watchdogs see ?glaring hole? in Postal Service pledge to roll back recent changes - The Washington Post

Congressional Democrats and election watchdogs voiced new suspicions about the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday, fearing its decision to suspend major changes to mail processing and delivery still stopped short of what was necessary to protect voters who intend to cast their 2020 ballots by mail.The about-face announced by embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Tuesday halted a series of cost-cutting measures, including the removal of machines that sort mail and the public boxes that collect it. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) publicly blasted the postmaster general after a private call with him, lamenting that his new pause would not “reverse damage already wreaked” on the country.“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,” Pelosi said in a statement.David Partenheimer, a spokesman for USPS, stressed in a statement Wednesday the agency has not changed its rules for election mail and intends “to fulfill our role in the electoral process by doing everything we can.” Postal Service blocked lawmakers from key evidence on DeJoy’s selection, Schumer saysThe fierce blowback Wednesday underscored the political maelstrom now facing USPS, once a venerated arm of the U.S. government, under DeJoy, a former logistics executive who became one of the Republican Party’s top donors. Partenheimer, the USPS spokesman, said Wednesday they have recommended state election officials use first-class mail “for years” to avoid potential delays.“For the mail to be successfully used as part of an election, state and local election officials must understand and take into account our operational standards and recommended timelines,” he added in a statement, pointing out that USPS has “not changed our delivery standards, our rules, or our prices for election mail.” How Trump was able to shape the Postal Service board to enact a new agendaHoping to address what they fear could become a “glaring hole,” House Democrats included in their new $25 billion postal relief bill a requirement that USPS give first-class status to election mailings, Connolly said.