DeFazio Calls for Ouster of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy

Louis DeJoy by Alex Wong/Blooomberg

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Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ transportation panel, is among the elected officials calling on the head of the country’s Postal Service to step down.

“This November, an historic number of citizens will vote by mail in order to protect their health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic,” DeFazio (D-Ore.) said on Aug. 8. “[Postmaster General Louis] DeJoy’s nefarious collective efforts will suppress millions of mail-in ballots and threaten the voting rights of millions of Americans, setting the stage for breach of our Constitution. It is imperative that we remove him from his post and immediately replace him with an experienced leader who is committed to sustaining a critical service for all Americans.”

In July, DeFazio joined other lawmakers in calling on congressional leaders to enhance safeguards throughout the Postal Service. As they put it, “The potential for votes to go uncounted, or for their delivery to be delayed as a result of the postmaster general’s new requirements, threatens the integrity of the upcoming election.”

Letter on USPS Support by Transport Topics on Scribd

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recently announced the chamber would interrupt recess to consider legislation as early as this week meant to push back on Trump administration policies. Specifically, any such legislation is expected to undo new overtime pay policies, service standards and closures regarding postal work.

Additionally, the Oversight and Reform Committee called on the postmaster general to appear before the panel on Aug. 24.

“Your testimony is particularly urgent given the troubling influx of reports of widespread delays at postal facilities across the country — as well as President [Donald] Trump’s explicit admission last week that he has been blocking critical coronavirus funding for the postal service in order to impair mail-in voting efforts for the upcoming elections in November,” said Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).

Over the weekend, Trump responded to critics by saying the postmaster general is trying to “streamline the post office and make it great again.”

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