Pelosi: Democrats to fight for USPS safeguards

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said Democrats will fight to protect the US postal service and mail-in voting as the November presidential election looms.

Speaking to reporters in front of a U.S. Post Office in the Bayview neighborhood in San Francisco, Pelosi mocked the Trump administration's stance on funding for the postal service.

The leading Democrat spoke on the day President Donald Trump's new postmaster general announced he is halting some operational changes to mail delivery that critics blamed for widespread delays and warned could disrupt the November election.

"This is how they insult the intelligence of the American people. And that's why they know they can't win the election on the level. So they have to lie, cheat and steal," Pelosi said.

Pelosi is calling the House back to Washington over the crisis as lawmakers held demonstrations in cities nationwide, pressuring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to resume session.

Trump made clear last week that he was blocking $25 billion emergency aid to the Postal Service, acknowledging he wanted to curtail election mail operations, as well as a Democratic proposal to provide $3.6 billion in additional election money to the states to help process an expected surge of mail-in ballots.

The House is expected to vote Saturday on legislation that would prohibit changes at the agency.

The package will also include $25 billion to shore up the Postal Service, which faces continued financial losses.