Rep. Maloney Introduces Bill to Reverse Changes to USPS Made by Postmaster General

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) leads a hearing about CCP virus preparedness and response on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 12, 2020. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, presented a bill on Tuesday to counter the changes proposed by the new postmaster general to the operations and organizational structure of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy detailed his restructuring of the USPS in an Aug. 7 memo, including the reassignment of 23 postal executives. DeJoy also implemented a hiring freeze, restriction on overtime, and regional downscaling.

DeJoy, who became postmaster general in May, told the Postal Service Board of Governors the changes were made after assessing operational practices and with the goal of operating the USPS more efficiently and effectively while providing quality service for the American people.

“Our financial position is dire, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, a broken business model, and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues,” DeJoy said in a statement. “Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight, and we face an impending liquidity crisis.”

“This organizational change will capture operating efficiencies by providing clarity and economies of scale that will allow us to reduce our cost base and capture new revenue,” he added.

United States Postal Service mail carrier Frank Colon, 59, delivers mail amid the CCP virus pandemic in El Paso, Texas, on April 30, 2020. (Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images)

Maloney said her bill, the Delivering for America Act, would stop the Postal Service from making any changes to its operations or level of service until after the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that the changes made by DeJoy would not allow the increased volume of election mail to be delivered on time.

“At this juncture in our nation’s history, when the number of Americans voting by mail for this Presidential election is expected to more than double from the last, Congress must protect the right of all eligible citizens to have their vote counted,” Maloney said in a statement.

“A once-in-a-century pandemic is no time to enact changes that threaten service reliability and transparency. The Delivering for America Act would reverse these changes so this fundamental American service can continue unimpeded,” she added.

DeJoy said that despite recent cuts to operating expenses to help the agency shore up its finances, the Postal Service is “not slowing down Election Mail or any other mail.”

“The Postal Service and I are fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process. If public policymakers choose to utilize the mail as a part of their election system, we will do everything we can to deliver Election Mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards,” DeJoy, a successful businessman and a supporter of President Donald Trump, said last week.

“Although there will likely be an unprecedented increase in election mail volume due to the pandemic, the Postal Service has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on-time in accordance with our delivery standards, and we will do so.  However, as discussed, we cannot correct the errors of the Election Boards if they fail to deploy processes that take our normal processing and delivery standards into account,” DeJoy said.

“We continue to employ a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling of all Election Mail,” he said.

Election workers sort vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary at King County Elections in Renton, Wash., on March 10, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

Maloney also said her party is concerns that the postmaster general has donated “millions of dollars” to President Donald Trump’s campaign.

DeJoy said that he respects the non-partisan role of the USPS. “The notion that I would ever make decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the President, or anyone else in the Administration, is wholly off-base.”

Tom Ozimek and Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report