On Tuesday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that he would be pausing changes to the U.S. Postal Service until after the 2020 presidential election. The sudden wave of changes to the operations and equipment of the USPS has alarmed many Americans, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic forces many states to pivot to mail-in ballots. DeJoy issued a statement promising to stop these changes, but hinting that he still stands by the changes he has made so far.
“To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded,” read DeJoy’s statement on the USPS website. DeJoy has come under heavy suspicion since being appointed to his job back in June by President Donald Trump. DeJoy was previously and RNC chairman and a major donor to Trump’s campaign, and Trump has been raging against mail-in voting, claiming incorrectly that it is not secure.
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In Tuesday’s statement, DeJoy said that the USPS will deploy “stand-by resources” beginning on Oct. 1, hoping “to satisfy any unforeseen demand” on the agency when the election hits. This was a surprise to many analysts, who believed that DeJoy was intentionally sabotaging the 2020 election for the president’s benefit.
“I came to the Postal Service to make changes to secure the success of this organization and its long-term sustainability,” DeJoy said. “I believe significant reforms are essential to that objective and work toward those reforms will commence after the election.”
DeJoy is still expected to testify before the U.S. Congress next week, to answer for the allegations that his changes to the USPS so far were attempts to meddle with the election. Meanwhile, Trump continues to lash out at any politician who stands by the political science experts saying that mail-in voting is safe and reliable.
Trump has made no secret that he intends to use his powers over the executive branch to stop mail-in ballots, if possible. Last week, he even told Fox News that he would hold up the stimulus check negotiations over this issue. He blamed Democrats for pushing the subject.
“It’s their fault. They want $3.5 billion for something that’s fraudulent,” he said. “For the mail-in votes, universal mail-in ballots. They want $25 billion for the post office. They need that money so it can work and they can take these millions and millions of ballots. […] But if they don’t get those two items, then they can’t have mail-in ballots.”
He continued: “If we don’t make a deal, that means they won’t get the money and they won’t have universal mail-in voting.” Trump then criticized California for sending out “tens of millions” of ballots. “Maybe they’ll go to everyone but Republicans. We’re challenging it in court. It’s being challenged at many different levels.”
