Ohio?s Rob Portman?s among Republicans defending Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at Senate hearing

C. - U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Friday told a Senate hearing that he’ll prioritize mail-in balloting in upcoming elections as Republicans including Ohio’s Sen. Rob Portman attempted to address “disinformation” about changes made since DeJoy took the job.“As we head into the election season, I want to assure this committee and the American public that the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on time,” DeJoy told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. “I believe you owe them an apology for the harm you have caused and you owe all of us some very clear answers today.“The country is anxious about whether the damage you have inflicted so far can be quickly reversed and what other plans you have in store that could further disrupt reliability and timely delivery from the Postal Service.”Portman observed that decisions to remove mail boxes and sorting machines that DeJoy is being criticized for were made before his tenure.Portman asked DeJoy whether Postal Service advisories to Ohio and other states “that they can’t guarantee all ballots cast by mail will arrive on time” was due to a lack of funds, or “due to state laws on voting and the time it takes to turn around receiving and delivering the ballots?”DeJoy said the notices were also sent out in past years, but more emphasis was placed on them this year because of an expected increase in mail-in balloting due to the coronavirus pandemic.DeJoy told Portman he plans to vote by mail himself, and “the American public should be able to vote by mail and the Postal Service will support it,” although he advised mail-in voters to cast their ballots early.“I vote every year by absentee because I don’t know where the heck I’m going to be - in Washington or Ohio - based on our schedule,” said Portman.