Schumer, House dems summon USPS leaders for hearing

The Democratic-run House on Sunday demanded that leaders of the U.S. Postal Service testify at an emergency oversight hearing Aug. 24 on mail delays.

It comes as concerns grow that the Trump White House is trying to undermine the agency during the coronavirus pandemic while states expand mail-in voting options for the November presidential election.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee said it wants to hear from new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and from the chair of the Postal Service board of governors, Robert "Mike" Duncan.

With heightened scrutiny of its operations, the agency is now requesting a temporary preelection rate increase, from mid-October through Christmas, although not for first-class letters.

The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment about whether the two men would appear before the House committee.

But it said Sunday it would stop removing its distinctive blue mailboxes through mid-November following complaints from customers and members of Congress that the collection boxes were being taken away.

The announcement comes as pressure increases on DeJoy, a major Republican donor and ally of the president who took control of the agency in June.

DeJoy has pledged to modernize the money-losing agency to make it more efficient, and has eliminated most overtime for postal workers, imposed restrictions on transportation and reduced of the quantity and use of mail-processing equipment.

On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said DeJoy must answer to the American people.

Schumer is joined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the committee chair, and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Postal Service.

"To slow down the mail at any time is disgraceful. To slow it down in COVID is despicable and hurts people's lives," Schumer said at a news conference in New York.

Trump said last week that he was blocking a $25 billion emergency injection sought by the Postal Service, as well as a Democratic proposal to provide $3.6 billion in additional election money to the states.

The Republican president worries that mail-in voting could cost him reelection.

The money for the post office is intended to help with processing an expected surge of mail-in ballots.

Both funding requests have been tied up in congressional negotiations over a new coronavirus relief package.

On Saturday, Trump tried to massage his message, saying he supports increasing money for the Postal Service.

He said he was refusing to capitulate to Democrats on other parts of the relief package, including funding for states weighed down by debt accumulated before the pandemic.

But the president's critics were not appeased, contending that Trump has made the calculation that a lower voter turnout would improve his chances of winning a second term.

"He says he wants to slow down the mail to hurt the elections and make people doubt the results of the election. Maybe he's worried he's going to lose, it doesn't matter," said Schumer.

"Our elections are sacred. Men and women have died for them and the right to vote."

Funding a cash-strapped Postal Service has quickly turned into a top campaign issue as Trump presses his unsupported claim that increased mail-in voting will undermine the credibility of the election and Democrats push back.