The House, which had not planned to return to Washington until Sept. 14, was holding a rare Saturday session to debate and vote on the legislation. In addition to the infusion of money for the cash-strapped agency, the bill would ban the removal of mail-sorting machines and public mailboxes, reverse any operational changes that could delay service and require all official election mail be considered “first class.”
Nearly 180 million Americans are eligible to vote by mail, an alternative to in-person voting that many will choose amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Americans started voting by mail during the Civil War, they voted by mail during the Spanish flu, and they should enjoy access to absentee ballots like the president submitted in Florida just this week,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee and sponsor of the legislation, said in a letter. “The American people want their mail, their medicines, and their mail-in ballots delivered in a timely manner.”
The House vote is expected to break along party lines as the White House has threatened to veto the bill and Republicans have dismissed reports of mail delays, accusing Democrats of “baseless conspiracy theories” about postal problems to undermine President Trump’s reelection bid.
Republicans insist numerous delays of prescription drugs to veterans or Social Security checks to the elderly are a myth, that the Postal Service has enough money until 2021 and the legislation is unnecessary.
Earlier this month, Trump said he opposed both election aid for states and an emergency bailout for the Postal Service because he wants to restrict how many Americans can vote by mail. The president, who has voted by mail, has repeatedly made the baseless claim that mail-in ballots can lead to widespread fraud while criticizing the Postal Service in recent months.
The legislation is unlikely to be considered by the Senate, as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said recently that the Postal Service will “be just fine.”
While DeJoy announced this past week that he was suspending cost-cutting operational changes before Election Day on Nov. 3, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the moves “wholly insufficient” and said the pause “does not reverse damage already wreaked.”
Pelosi, who spoke to DeJoy, said he “frankly admitted that he had no intention of replacing the sorting machines, blue mailboxes and other key mail infrastructure that have been removed and that plans for adequate overtime, which is critical for the timely delivery of mail, are not in the works.”
DeJoy testified to a Senate panel Friday the agency will continue to prioritize ballots over other mail, as it has in past elections, and expressed support for the practice of voting by mail.
But DeJoy is also considering a massive overhaul of the agency after the election, The Washington Post reported Thursday, in which the Postal Service would implement geographic pricing, reduce mail-delivery standards and increase prices.
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) led 23 Democrats in writing to DeJoy and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Friday calling for an investigation after the deaths of thousands of mail-order chicks.
“One hatchery recently reported that a shipment of 4,800 chicks arrived in New England with 100 percent mortality losses,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are deeply concerned that the recent issues with live chick deliveries may have been significantly exacerbated by recent changes to USPS service that have led to mail delays and staffing challenges.”
In bringing the House back to vote, Pelosi faces pressure from an increasing number of her Democrats to also consider legislation to restore unemployment benefits that expired last month. Congressional Democratic leaders and the White House failed to reach an agreement on a new aid package before lawmakers left Washington.
“It has been 19 days since the weekly $600 enhanced unemployment benefits expired, leaving 30 million Americans in a lurch. We owe it to people waiting to get back to work across the country not only to extend unemployment benefits to help them pay their bills, but to tie these benefits to economic conditions so workers are not held hostage by another cliff like this one,” more than half the Democratic caucus wrote.
Democrats have sought a $3.4 trillion bill to provide more economic relief, while Republicans have sought a much narrower package. Among the issues in dispute are aid to states and localities hard hit by the twin economic and health crises, the amount of unemployment assistance and funds for schools.
