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The House of Representatives, meeting in a rare weekend session, on Saturday approved a bill prohibiting the US Postal Service from making “any changes” that would limit service until the end of the November election.
The bill, approved by a majority partisan vote of 257 to 150, reflects fear among Democrats that President Trump is seeking to sabotage the mail service for his political advantage. This would prevent postal officials from removing mailboxes from street corners, shutting down mail sorting machines, or blocking overtime pay for postal workers.
Despite strong opposition from GOP leaders, 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, including Representative Doug LaMalfa, who represents a predominantly rural California district, north of Sacramento to the Oregon border. Twenty-four other representatives did not vote, including 23 Republicans.
The emergency measure would also provide $ 25 billion as needed to fund the postal service, an amount requested earlier this year by the US Postal Service Board of Governors in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Despite bipartisan support, the bill is unlikely to be taken up by the Senate. The White House threatened a presidential veto in a statement released Friday that described the House bill as “an overreaction to sensational media reporting.”
The pandemic has left millions of Americans considering voting by mail this year rather than queuing at local polling stations. It is an option welcomed by advocates of voting rights, but repeatedly criticized by Trump as being vulnerable to fraud.
Democrats say they are alarmed by reports of mail accumulation and the risk of delays in the delivery of prescription drugs and Social Security and unemployment checks as well as postal votes. Postal workers reported orders to cut overtime pay and to do away with high-speed mail sorting machines as a way to save money. Critics put the blame on the Trump administration’s newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a North Carolina businessman and prominent Republican donor.
DeJoy testified before a Senate committee on Friday and said the Postal Service was “fully capable” of delivering the mail-in ballots safely and on time.
“This sacred duty is my number one priority between now and election day,” he said. He also said cuts to the postal service were underway before his appointment in June.
But Democrats were not reassured. They noted that DeJoy did not make it clear that he would reverse recent changes that have sparked widespread complaints.
On Saturday in the House, Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) Called DeJoy a “leader of chaos and voter suppression” and said the postmaster helped create a crisis in the Postal Service to undermine the public confidence in postal voting.
“This is not a partisan issue. The American people don’t want anyone playing with the Postal Service, ”said Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (DN.Y.).
Last weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called lawmakers back to Washington and said DeJoy had “proven an accomplice pal” in the president’s “campaign to sabotage the election by manipulating the Postal Service to deprive voters of their rights “.
Other California Democrats told reporters they had received an “onslaught” of complaints and concerns about threats to the Postal Service.
“I have never seen such a reaction from the public, the concern of citizens over their perception that the election is disrupted and that this interference has come directly from the White House,” said Representative Mark Takano. (D-Riverside). “I don’t think the American people are out of place in demanding that their representatives protect a fundamental part of their democracy.”
As the House voted, President Trump urged Republicans to vote no.
“Postal officials have said on several occasions that they DON’T NEED MONEY and that they would not make any changes. It’s quite another HOAX by Democrats to give useless $ 25 billion for political gain, not to mention the universal mail ballot scam, ”he tweeted.
Republican Republicans on Saturday accused Democrats of spreading a “conspiracy theory” that mail delivery or postal voting is in danger. They said the Postal Service said it could easily handle an increase in mail this fall.
Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said the postal service was well funded until next year and accused Democrats of “wasting precious time spreading myths about the box to President Pelosi’s letters ”.
Republicans have said the real problem with the Postal Service is that it is running a huge deficit due to the decline in first-class mail – which in turn calls for cutting costs, including reducing overtime for employees of the postal service. posts.
Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) Said the Democrats’ only response was to “throw more money at the problem”. He also criticized Democratic leaders for holding a vote on postal legislation on Saturday, two days before a House oversight committee is due to question DeJoy.
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