House Democrats unveil updated postal service protection bill News
House Democrats unveil updated postal service protection bill

Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced a bill on Thursday aimed at combating alleged sabotage of the US Postal Service (USPS) by Trump appointees.

The bill, titled the Delivering For America Act, provides $25 billion for funding continued service by the USPS through the end of the year. In addition, it requires recently appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to reverse policies like removing post boxes and mail sorting machines and replacing them before the November presidential election. Democrats have alleged that DeJoy’s actions are aimed at crippling the USPS in order to slow mail-in voting in the election. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that a higher-than-average number of ballots will be cast via absentee or mail-in ballots instead of in-person. More than a dozen states have filed lawsuits against DeJoy and President Donald Trump for the recent actions taken by the USPS.

In a press release touting the bill, Committee Chairwoman Representative Carolyn Maloney said that the “legislation is more critical than ever” and called on the members of the House to support the bill in order “to ensure that the American people have their mail, their medicines, and their mail-in ballots delivered in a timely manner.” More than 200 Representatives have already signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, according to Maloney’s statement.

The House previously passed emergency USPS funding in the bipartisan HEROES Act that was approved in May. The Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, has refused to bring the bill for a vote in the upper chamber.