Newly released documents paint an alarming picture of delivery performance within the United States Postal Service, one that shows nationwide delays are far worse than the agency has admitted, New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney said Saturday.
The Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform released the documents the same day the House reconvened to pass a bill providing the USPS will emergency aid and prevent further cuts through the end of the year.
"After being confronted on Friday with first-hand reports of delays across the country, the Postmaster General finally acknowledged a 'dip' in service, but he has never publicly disclosed the full extent of the alarming nationwide delays caused by his actions and described in these new documents," Maloney said in a statement. "To those who still claim there are 'no delays' and that these reports are just 'conspiracy theories,' I hope this new data causes the to re-think their position and support our legislation today."
Reports have flooded in from around the U.S. about sorting machines being taken offline and the service’s iconic blue mailboxes being moved and removed from areas, along with many other operational changes that some have argued are meant to sabotage the upcoming election.
The moves are seen as a way to curtail accessibility to mail-in voting, which many voters have sought out as the coronavirus pandemic continues throughout the country.
Postmaster General Luis DeJoy has disputed the arguments. Earlier this week he announced he would halt rollbacks until after the November election, which is expected to see a record number of mail-in ballots due to fears of in-person voting during the pandemic.
“We are fully capable and committed to delivering ballots securely and on time,” DeJoy said.
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The documents released Saturday are said to be part of a "PMG Briefing," a presentation prepared directly for the Postmaster General just last week. According to the internal report, significant dips in on-time delivery have been recorded by the Postal Service since the start of July but had been steady for several months prior.
Maloney says DeJoy did not admit to "sweeping delays and reductions in service caused by his actions and detailed in these new documents." She says the documents contradict representatives on the other side of the aisle that claimed there were "no delays" in mail delivery and "no data" to prove the delays were real.
Postal workers and supporters across the United States held rallies Saturday to demand that recent rollbacks in postal service be halted and reversed before the upcoming presidential election.
Even though legislation passed the House, it is not expected to make it through the Republican-controlled Senate. President Donald Trump, who has faced criticism over the decisions of the Postmaster General, has already vowed to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.
Meanwhile, the Postal Service launched a new election mail website to help voters maneuver voting-by-mail in the November general election.
