Representative DeLauro, Attorney General Tong, Postal Service Workers Call for End to Attacks on the USPS and Robust Protections for this Vital Service
DeLauro to head to Washington Saturday to vote for USPS legislation, "Delivering for American Act," that would provide $25 billion in support of the Postal Service
NEW HAVEN, CT — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong were joined by leaders of the postal workers union and local residents today to express their grave concerns with the administration's attempts to gut the United States Postal Service and call for a reversal of the draconian actions taken to date and protections for the USPS and its employees. They appeared at the Brewery Street Post Office to emphasize the importance of this vital service to the people of Connecticut.
"The operational changes made to the postal system to delay the mail is a critical issue," said DeLauro. "It is about our democracy. This is about an assault on the Postal Service. This is about an administration that is trying to thwart a pillar of our democratic system, voting, for political purposes. To obstruct the Postal Service, a constitutional institution, for political purposes is illegal. During an unprecedented pandemic, voting by mail is critically important. We must be streamlining, not sabotaging, voting by mail."
Despite the announcement of a temporary pause on the Postmaster's changes aimed at disenfranchising voters, there remains no plan by the Trump administration to reverse the damages already committed and provide the Postal Service with the funds requested by the USPS Board of Governors.
"I have zero confidence in Postmaster General Louis DeJoy when he says that he has stopped dismantling the Postal Service," said Tong. "Merely pausing this sabotage is not enough. We need to restore the capacity that's already been bled from the system, and we need strong planning for the increase in volume we know is coming in November. I thank Congresswoman DeLauro and our entire Congressional delegation for fighting to get the Postal Service gets the funding it needs to do its job. Americans will be able to cast their ballots this November with confidence that their votes will count."
On Saturday, August 22, DeLauro and her colleagues in the House of Representatives are returning to Washington, DC, to vote on the "Delivering for America Act," USPS relief legislation that would prohibit the Postal Service from implementing changes to the operations or service levels that would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient service for the duration of the coronavirus crisis or through January 2021. The legislation, cosponsored by DeLauro, would also include $25 billion requested by the Postal Service and supported unanimously and on a bipartisan basis by the Postal Board of Governors—all of whom were appointed by President Trump.
"The administration wants to destroy the Public's faith and trust in the Postal Service," said DeLauro. "The question is, how are we going to restore this trust—what actions will we take? This Saturday, I will be in Washington to vote on an emergency bill I cosponsored. I hope this critical legislation passes with bipartisan support. We must fight for this essential component of our democracy and of people's lives. I will: through rain or shine, sleet or Donald Trump."