Postal service: House to vote on sending $ 25 billion and stopping changes

The bill is expected to largely adopt party lines, with Democrats backing it. House GOP leaders are actively pushing their members to oppose the legislation, and it is unlikely to be considered by the Republican Senate. On the eve of the vote, the White House threatened to veto the bill.

Democratic leaders introduced the measure, based on a bill sponsored by New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, House Reform and Oversight Committee chairperson, after the Trump administration made changes policy at the USPS. These measures included reducing overtime for employees, limiting post office hours, and removing some high-volume sorting machines from USPS facilities. Democrats say the policies were aimed at preventing postal voting before the November election. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, an ally and donor to President Donald Trump, denied the allegations, saying the changes were aimed at increasing efficiency and saving money.

“As we enter election season, I want to assure this committee and the American public that the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the country’s election mail safely and on time,” DeJoy told Senators at the time. of the audience. He also claimed to have never spoken with President Donald Trump or anyone else in the White House about the changes to the Postal Service or their potential impact on the November election.

DeJoy will testify again before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.

The early return of House votes on Saturday disrupted MPs’ August vacation plans. The room had previously been scheduled for the next return of votes in mid-September.

Democrats initially sought to include USPS funding as part of a broader coronavirus stimulus package, but negotiations between Congressional Democrats and the White House for such a bill failed. During discussions on the relief bill, the White House reached an agreement in principle to include $ 10 billion for the postal service, people involved in the negotiations told CNN.

Administration officials are opposed to a USPS-specific bill like the one expected to pass on Saturday. Instead, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows called for a measure that would include parts of the relief talks both sides agree on, such as another round of direct payments to Americans.