USPS CHIEF STILL HAS NO PLAN TO HANDLE HUGE ELECTION MAIL

New Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Friday (Saturday, August 22, 2020 in Manila) he has no plans to restore mailboxes and other agency cuts made since he took over in June, sparking fresh questions over how the Postal Service will ensure timely delivery of an expected surge of mail-in ballots for the November election.

It was DeJoy’s first time publicly answering questions since summer mail delays brought a public outcry. Testifying before a Senate committee, the ally of President Donald Trump said it was his “sacred duty” that ballots arrive on time. But he told senators he did not yet have a plan for handling a crush of election mail, Lisa Mascaro, Anthony Izaguirre and Christina A. Cassidy wrote for the Associated Press (AP) on August 22, 2020.

From the White House, Trump delivered fresh complaints over the mail-in ballots expected because of the coronavirus pandemic. As he did, the House pushed ahead with plans for a rare Saturday vote to block the postal cutbacks and funnel $25 billion to shore up operations.

DeJoy declared that the Postal Service “is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on-time.” He distanced himself from Trump’s objections about wide-scale mail-in voting and said ensuring ballots arrive was his “No. 1 priority between now and Election Day.”