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Published 12:48 IST, August 16th 2020

US House Speaker Pelosi might recall Congress to address Postal Service woes

Democratic congressional aide confirmed that US House Speaker, in a call with other top Democrats, discussed the idea to address changes at the Postal Service.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may summon the Congress members later this month from a summer recess to address Postal Service woes ahead of the scheduled resumption of votes in mid-September. According to reports, a Democratic congressional aide confirmed that Pelosi, in a call with other top Democrats discussed the idea to address changes at the Postal Service that might have a possible impact on the 2020 US Presidential election. 

On August 14, the US Postal Service warned the states that it cannot guarantee that all ballots cast by mail for the 2020 presidential election scheduled for November would make it in time to be counted. Further, reports of some curbside mail collection boxes removed also emerged. This led to the cause of concern among the democrats, sparking fears of over millions of voters could be disenfranchised, as per the local reports. While US President Donald Trump has rallied against the mail-in voting, the post office has a challenge of arranging the unprecedented count of mail-in ballot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in an attack on Donald Trump, were reported saying that the US President, his cronies, and Republicans in Congress continue to wage their all-out assault on the Postal Service and its role in ensuring the integrity of the 2020 election. The statement came in the backdrop of recent legislation introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chair of a House panel that prohibited any changes to be implemented on operations or level of service of the postal office until coronavirus pandemic had ended. As per media reports, the Democratic aide said that the House could vote a decision on resolving the Postal Service issues.  

65,000 absentees rejected

A Tennessee Democratic Representative Jim Cooper, a member of the centrist "Blue Dog" coalition was quoted as saying in a separate report that he supported Pelosi’s decision to reconvene Congress and discuss the workaround, adding, the postmaster general must be subpoenaed. Earlier, the US Postal Service reportedly sent notices to 46 states and Washington saying that it would be “no fault of their own” if mail-in ballots did not arrive, citing, 65,000 absentees rejected in US primary elections for arriving past deadline. 

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Updated 12:48 IST, August 16th 2020