Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will testify before the House Oversight Committee Monday, answering questions from lawmakers on policy changes he made at the U.S. Postal Service that resulted in delayed mail delivery.
Critics and some lawmakers have questioned if the delays were intended to interfere with mail-in voting, which President Trump has opposed in the past. DeJoy, a close ally of the president, said last week that he would suspend further changes to the Postal Service until after the election to avoid the appearance of influence.
Beyond the election, however, the delays have hurt thousands who rely on the Postal Service to deliver sometimes crucial or life-saving prescriptions and small businesses that are increasingly reliant on the agency’s affordable and previously reliable delivery services.
Postal Service insiders blamed the DeJoy’s policies, primarily a ban of overtime and extra trips for carriers to ensure mail arrives on time, as some of the reasons for the delays.
DeJoy told the Senate Homeland Committee Friday that he would commit to delivering ballots within one to three days, as they have been in past elections, and he noted that he himself has voted by mail.
He did not speak directly about the ripple effects of the delays, such as the delayed prescriptions, but said he regretted the outcomes, though he largely blamed the pandemic and the agency itself for the long waits.
“We are working here feverishly to get the system running, add stability and also to hire more workers to handle the delivery process,” DeJoy told the Senate Friday. “We all feel bad about the dip in our service level.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, asked DeJoy to appear before the House.
“Your testimony is particularly urgent given the troubling influx of reports of widespread delays at postal facilities across the country—as well as President Trump’s explicit admission last week that he has been blocking critical coronavirus funding for the Postal Service in order to impair mail-in voting efforts for the upcoming elections in November,” Maloney wrote to DeJoy last week.
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Robert M. Duncan, the chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, will also testify before the committee on Monday. The board has come under scrutiny recently for meetings it held with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin prior to DeJoy’s appointment.
Postal service delays have gained increased attention of the past weeks, particularly how it could affect the counting of mail-in votes in the election. The House passed a bill late Saturday authorizing $25 billion in emergency funds for the Postal Service. While it gained some support from House Republicans, it is expected to be met with opposition in the Senate.
