US: Nancy Pelosi to recall House over postal service controversy
Speaker Nancy Pelosi will call the United States House of Representatives to return to session early to handle the US Postal Service crisis. Pelosi has accused President Donald Trump of running a campaign to sabotage the upcoming Presidential elections by manipulating the postal service. Notably, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many are expected to cast their votes for the upcoming elections via mail-in ballots.
Pelosi said she's recalling House later this week
In a letter on Sunday, House Speaker Pelosi said that she is calling upon the House to return to session later this week and vote on Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Maloney's "Delivering for America Act". The Act prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020, she said.
Pelosi calls Postmaster General Louis DeJoy a 'complicit crony'
Calling Postmaster General Louis DeJoy a "complicit crony," Pelosi said he "continues to push forward sweeping new operational changes that degrade postal service, delay the mail, and—according to the Postal Service itself—threaten to deny the ability of eligible Americans to cast their votes through the mail in the upcoming elections in a timely fashion." DeJoy is notably a loyal Trump supporter.
'American Democracy under threat from President Trump'
Pelosi said, "These delays also threaten the health and economic security of the American people by delaying delivery of life-saving medicines and payments." She accused Trump of a "campaign to sabotage the election by manipulating the Postal Service to disenfranchise voters" and added, "Lives, livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy are under threat from the President."
Democrats accuse Trump of attacking postal ballots to undermine election
Pelosi and several Democrats have called on DeJoy along with another senior USPS official to testify at an "urgent" hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on August 24. Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, have accused Trump of attacking mail-in ballots and the USPS to "undermine the election." Trump has repeatedly opposed postal ballots claiming they will lead to voting fraud.
Trump recently said he wants to block USPS funding
President Trump recently told Fox News, "Now they need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots." Trump added, "Now if we don't make a deal, that means they don't get the money. That means they can't have universal mail-in voting, they just can't have it."
