Blunt Rochester Leads Over 70 Members of the House in Demanding an Investigation into Postmaster DeJoy’s Policies
Washington,
August 21, 2020
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Andrew Donnelly
(302-893-4406)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) led over 70 Members of the House in writing a letter to the United States Postal Service Inspector General, requesting an immediate investigation into the impact of Postmaster General DeJoy’s changes to the Postal Service.
“We are writing on behalf of millions of Americans who rely on the United States Postal Service (USPS) every day for essential services like the delivery of Social Security checks, unemployment benefits, medication, and those who use it to send mail-in ballots and census forms,” wrote the Members. “We are concerned that the actions taken by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have resulted in significant delays in mail delivery. We urge you to immediately conduct an investigation into the effects of his new directives.”
The Postal Service is a pillar of our democracy, enshrined in the Constitution and essential for providing critical services: delivering prescriptions, Social Security benefits, paychecks, tax returns, and absentee ballots to millions of Americans, including in our most remote communities.
On Saturday, the House will return to session to vote on Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Caroline Maloney’s “Delivering for America Act,” which prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020.
The full text of the letter can be found below or here.
August 21, 2020 Tammy L. Whitcomb Inspector General United States Postal Service 1735 N. Lynn St. Arlington, VA 22209-2020
Dear Inspector General Whitcomb:
We are writing on behalf of millions of Americans who rely on the United States Postal Service (USPS) every day for essential services like the delivery of Social Security checks, unemployment benefits, medication, and those who use it to send mail-in ballots and census forms. We are concerned that the actions taken by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have resulted in significant delays in mail delivery. We urge you to immediately conduct an investigation into the effects of his new directives.
In July, news reports revealed that Mr. DeJoy ordered significant changes in mail operations, including the elimination of paid overtime and advising that mail will not go out if there is a shortage of people or call outs. These changes have clearly affected the efficiency of the USPS as we continue to see news reports from across the country of individuals not receiving their mail as well as countless messages from our constituents expressing extreme concerns about mail reliability. Even more concerning, Mr. DeJoy announced a major reorganization of USPS’s management structure, including twenty-three postal executives reassigned within the agency, a management hiring freeze, and the request for voluntary retirements. This change comes amid public reports of Americans not receiving their mail and election ballots not being processed in a timely matter.
For example, in Milford, Delaware reports surfaced in late July of mail not being picked up from homes for days on end. One Delawarean shared, “My neighbor and I have both been putting mail in our boxes that was never picked up.” Near Baltimore, Maryland, news outlets have reported long lines of individuals at the post office seeking answers as to why they have not received their mail. One resident shared, “It’s been a week or more that we haven’t received any mail in our mailbox.” In Detroit, Michigan, an individual said she applied for her absentee ballot in July but did not receive it until Monday, August 3rd, the day before Michigan’s primary election. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, these delays and, in some cases non-deliveries, can be life threatening. Due to the pandemic, more Americans than ever before are expected to vote by mail for the 2020 presidential election. These delays directly threaten our democracy. Investigating the recent directives set by Mr. DeJoy and the claims of extreme mail delay across the country cannot wait.
The USPS Office of Inspector General website outlines the mission of its investigations as being to, “protect the mail and to maintain the integrity of postal processes and personnel.” We share your commitment to safeguarding the USPS, which is why Congress took steps to guarantee the USPS was able to continue business through the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Congress passed the CARES Act (H.R. 748), which included $10 billion in Treasury Department loans for the agency’s immediate needs. In May, the House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act (H.R. 6800), which would provide $25 billion in emergency funding to the USPS for revenue lost during the pandemic. While Congress has sought to improve the operations of the USPS during this difficult time, the actions taken by Mr. DeJoy appear to have been taken to directly undermine the success of the USPS.
Like you, we are committed to ensuring the integrity of the United States Postal Service and guaranteeing that Americans will continue to utilize it for important business, such as voting, medication delivery, and paying bills. We appreciate the steps your office has started taking to review concerns raised by Members of Congress. However, we urge you to fulfill your mission and immediately launch a formal investigation into the operational and organizational changes made by Mr. DeJoy as well as the severe mail delays that have impacted millions of Americans.
Sincerely,
Lisa Blunt Rochester Brendan F. Boyle Rashida Tlaib Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Reps. Susan A. Davis, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Nydia M. Velázquez, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Jan Schakowsky, Ruben Gallego, Grace F. Napolitano, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Garamendi, Peter Welch, Jim Cooper, Jamie Raskin, Steve Cohen, Bradley S. Schneider, Joseph P. Kennedy, III, Debbie Dingell, Grace Meng, Rosa DeLauro, Bill Foster, Joseph D. Morelle, Suzan K. DelBene, Sylvia R. Garcia, Alma S. Adams, Ph.D, Alan Lowenthal, Earl Blumenauer, Marcia L. Fudge, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Adriano Espaillat, Terri A. Sewell, Dwight Evans, Steven Horsford, Barbara Lee, Jerrold Nadler, Stephen F. Lynch, Jim Costa, Matthew Cartwright, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Val Demings, Antonio Delgado, Donald S. Beyer Jr., Jahana Hayes, John Yarmuth, Julia Brownley, Thomas R. Suozzi, David N. Cicilline, Ann McLane Kuster, Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Wm. Lacy Clay, Al Lawson, Yvette D. Clarke, David Trone, David Scott, Deb Haaland, Gerald E. Connolly, Jared Huffman, G. K. Butterfield, Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Marcy Kaptur, Ayanna Pressley, Lori Trahan, Gregory W. Meeks, Daniel T. Kildee, Mary Gay Scanlon, Diana DeGette, Norma Torres, Ro Khanna, Mike Levi, William R. Keating, Sharice L. Davids, Katie Porter, James P. McGovern, J. Luis Correa
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