Mass. Political Leaders Accuse Postmaster General Of Jeopardizing Mail-In Votes
BOSTON (CBS) - U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has put the brakes on spending cuts in the U.S. Postal service. "To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded," said DeJoy's statement.
The announcement came just as Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined a planned lawsuit, and pressure mounted from politicians. "The postal service has been able to provide ballot delivery even during wars, so I don't understand why this would be such a problem," said Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin.
Postal workers in Boston and Shrewsbury have reported cuts in overtime, and the removal of high-speed mail sorting machines from facilities, just as mail-in ballots start to move through the mail. DeJoy said he had started implementing significant "reforms" that would help the agency succeed long term,
"This is a direct attack, a direct attempt to obstruct the delivery of the mail, to obstruct the democratic election," said Congressman Stephen Lynch, among many Democratic members of Congress who criticized DeJoy Tuesday.
"This is an emergency for our democracy," said Jim McGovern, outside the U.S. Postal facility in Shrewsbury.
"There is nothing more fundamental in a democracy than the right to vote," said Congressman Seth Moulton at an event in Lynn.
Governor Charlie Baker said, in the end he hopes the fury over mail-in ballots leads to help for the hard-hit postal service. "People need to understand and recognize that the pandemic took away one of the largest revenue sources the post office has, and the feds need to deal with that," he said.
Members of the House are heading to Washington D.C. for a special session later this week to vote on a $25 billion relief package for the U.S. Postal Service.
