Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday, August 24th, more than a month before his previously scheduled testimony, Politico reports.
DeJoy has come under fire recently for Postal Service operations that have slowed the delivery of mail and raised questions about the management of the USPS in the run-up to the November presidential election. The 2020 elections are expected to have the largest number of mail-in ballots in history due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus across the country.
Recent reports have detailed orders from USPS management to slow the delivery of mail; dismantle hundreds of millions of dollars of automation equipment; and eliminate overtime for postal workers, resulting in a backlog of deliveries, from bulk mail to prescription medications. There have also been reports of the USPS removing mailboxes from neighborhoods, making it more difficult to mail a ballot.
The USPS has notified 46 states and the District of Columbia that it may not be able to fulfill ballot delivery in time for the votes to arrive at destinations before stated deadlines, effectively disenfranchising voters.
President Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Postal Service, in certain states, is unprepared to handle the mass of mail-in ballots without fraud and ballot manipulation; this claim is without evidence or merit.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has recalled the House from recess to consider legislation that would prevent the USPS from cutting service before the start of 2021.