Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he has "no intention" of replacing the mail-counting machines and mailboxes that have been removed in precincts across the country, the congressional leader tweeted.
"Earlier today, I spoke with Postmaster General DeJoy regarding his alleged pause in operational changes," Pelosi tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
"During our conversation, he admitted he has no intention of replacing the sorting machines, blue mailboxes and other infrastructure that have been removed," she added.
DeJoy has been under scrutiny for changes he's made that hamper the Postal Service's ability to turn around mail quickly, amid President Donald Trump's continued efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in voting.
Both DeJoy and Trump have said the recent rollbacks of machines and mailboxes are part of a plan to financially strengthen the Postal Service.
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The nationwide slowdown of mail shows no signs of turning around anytime soon, with the postmaster general telling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he has "no intention" of replacing any of the mailboxes or sorting machines that have been removed from precincts across the country in recent weeks, according to a tweet from the House leader.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy recently released a statement promising to halt changes to any of the Postal Service's operations that would affect voting in the 2020 election. The statement didn't specify whether any measures he's already taken would be changed back or replaced.
"Earlier today, I spoke with Postmaster General DeJoy regarding his alleged pause in operational changes," Pelosi tweeted Wednesday. "During our conversation, he admitted he has no intention of replacing the sorting machines, blue mailboxes and other infrastructure that have been removed."
The postmaster general's initial announcement came after widespread backlash over changes to Postal Service operations, billed as cost-cutting measures, that delayed mail delivery in pockets of the country.
Democrats have said they worry the changes could delay the delivery of mail-in ballots in November.
Over 20 states have sued the USPS over the operational changes, and DeJoy is set to testify before the Senate on Friday and the House on Monday.
Meanwhile in Michigan, mail-sorting machines have been found dumped in a parking lot with their power chords severed, according to a report from Heather Walker of Wood TV, an NBC affiliate.
Those machines are critical for turning around large amounts of mail in highly populated areas, and postal workers have told reporters that their removal significantly harms their ability to get deliveries out on time.
Some of the changes — including removing the sorting machines and collection boxes — have been underway for years, since before DeJoy took over as the head of USPS. Many were implemented in response to an overall decline in mail volume.
Robo_Joe on August 19th, 2020 at 20:29 UTC »
Much of the damage could be mitigated if we counted every vote based on it's postmark date, instead of only counting votes if they arrive by a certain day. The rules are different based on where you live. It's really silly that we allow issues with delivery to determine whether your vote is counted.
benning_17 on August 19th, 2020 at 20:28 UTC »
Sabotage. Seems simple, but I’m sure maga hats will shove their heads so far and powerfully up their asses looking for a 9D chess justification.
Custergrant on August 19th, 2020 at 20:07 UTC »
Then I hope he has no intention of keeping his job and his freedom outside a jail cell.