U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy on Friday advised lawmakers that the Postal Service has not altered the way it handles election mail as he sought to assure the people that ballots will be managed"securely and on time" in the November presidential election.
In his first public appearance before Congress, DeJoy sought to tamp down Democratic concerns that service flaws prompted by his cost-cutting measures could result in millions of uncounted ballots in the Nov. 3 election and also help Republican President Donald Trump.
DeJoy, that has donated millions of dollars to Trump along with other Republicans, stated he has not spoken to the Trump effort or White House Staff Mark Meadows about postal service operations. DeJoy said postal employees will prioritize election mail as they have in the past, adding that he'd personally vote by email.
"As we head into the election period, I wish to assure this committee and the American public the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation's election mail securely and on-time.
But DeJoy said he would not bring back mail-sorting machines that have been pulled from service in recent weeks, saying they weren't needed.
Under pressure by the public and lawmakers, DeJoy on Tuesday frozen all email service varies until after the election. Critics feared they would interfere with mail-in balloting, which can be expected to be much more widely used amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump has repeatedly and without evidence said that an increase in mail-in ballots would lead to an explosion in fraud, even though he has voted by email.
Senator Gary Peters, the leading Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said he'd obtained over 7,500 reports of mail delays from people in his home state of Michigan.
"If you intend to keep on pursuing these kinds of changes, I think my colleagues, and many of our components, will continue to wonder if you are the right individual to direct this indispensable public association," Peters explained.
Republican committee chairman Ron Johnson defended DeJoy, stating the Postal Service had an overhaul to shore up its shaky finances.
After he took the job in June, DeJoy imposed reductions in overtime, cuts in retail hours and restrictions on additional mail transport trips that resulted in widespread delays nationally.
DeJoy said the decisions to remove sorting machines and mailboxes had been already penalized and were a regular response to changes in email volume, which has dropped throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
DeJoy is also due to testify before the Democratic-led House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Monday.
A set of 90 Democrats from the House on Wednesday called on the Postal Service's board of governors to immediately remove DeJoy"to protect this crucial institution."
The House is set to vote on a bill on Saturday that could provide $25 billion in funding for the Postal Service and require the alteration of operational changes.
In his first public appearance before Congress, DeJoy sought to tamp down Democratic concerns that service flaws prompted by his cost-cutting measures could result in millions of uncounted ballots in the Nov. 3 election and also help Republican President Donald Trump.
DeJoy, that has donated millions of dollars to Trump along with other Republicans, stated he has not spoken to the Trump effort or White House Staff Mark Meadows about postal service operations. DeJoy said postal employees will prioritize election mail as they have in the past, adding that he'd personally vote by email.
"As we head into the election period, I wish to assure this committee and the American public the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation's election mail securely and on-time.
But DeJoy said he would not bring back mail-sorting machines that have been pulled from service in recent weeks, saying they weren't needed.
Under pressure by the public and lawmakers, DeJoy on Tuesday frozen all email service varies until after the election. Critics feared they would interfere with mail-in balloting, which can be expected to be much more widely used amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump has repeatedly and without evidence said that an increase in mail-in ballots would lead to an explosion in fraud, even though he has voted by email.
Senator Gary Peters, the leading Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said he'd obtained over 7,500 reports of mail delays from people in his home state of Michigan.
"If you intend to keep on pursuing these kinds of changes, I think my colleagues, and many of our components, will continue to wonder if you are the right individual to direct this indispensable public association," Peters explained.
Republican committee chairman Ron Johnson defended DeJoy, stating the Postal Service had an overhaul to shore up its shaky finances.
After he took the job in June, DeJoy imposed reductions in overtime, cuts in retail hours and restrictions on additional mail transport trips that resulted in widespread delays nationally.
DeJoy said the decisions to remove sorting machines and mailboxes had been already penalized and were a regular response to changes in email volume, which has dropped throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
DeJoy is also due to testify before the Democratic-led House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Monday.
A set of 90 Democrats from the House on Wednesday called on the Postal Service's board of governors to immediately remove DeJoy"to protect this crucial institution."
The House is set to vote on a bill on Saturday that could provide $25 billion in funding for the Postal Service and require the alteration of operational changes.