Wolf, Shapiro, Casey vow to fight postal system changes
Even though Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday afternoon that he is suspending cost-cutting measures that have slowed mail delivery until after the November election, Pennsylvania’s top elected Democrats vowed they would continue to aggressively challenge any changes to the operation of the U.S. Postal Service.
“His actions need to be binding,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Both prospectively and what he’s done in the past.”
Shapiro also said, “This is nothing new to the Trump administration. They consistently ignore the law, and then when we bring a lawsuit, we win.”
Shapiro was joined in a virtual press conference with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf just after he announced Pennsylvania and other states would be filing a federal lawsuit to stop the changes to the U.S. Postal Service that have been instituted on DeJoy’s watch, including the removal of public collection boxes and mail-sorting machines, and reductions in overtime. Supporters of DeJoy have argued that he is trying to stem a tide of red ink that leads the Postal Service to lose billions annually. However, opponents have argued that it is no coincidence that the changes are happening just before the November election, when many Americans are expected to cast ballots by mail so they can avoid crowded polling places amid the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump has stated that he opposed additional funding for the Postal Service because of mail-in voting. Trump has also claimed mail-in voting would be rife with fraud, though he has offered no evidence to support that assertion.
“This is a five-alarm fire for our democracy,” Casey said. The senator also contended that the president made DeJoy postmaster general “to implement a plan to cheat in the election.”
Pennsylvanians are allowed to vote by mail without an excuse for the first time this year thanks to reforms both Wolf and the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved last year. Wolf said he and GOP lawmakers “agreed that it would allow more voters to participate” in the state’s elections.
“Our mail-in voting system is safe and secure,” Wolf said.
Slowing mail service has also raised alarms about whether all ballots will be counted in November, and also whether Americans will be able to receive checks and other benefits they rely on, or medication. In the press conference, Charles Baldoff, a Mercer County veteran, said he relies on the Postal Service for medical supplies. He also said that, given his age and infirmities, he is reluctant to go to a polling place to vote in a little more than two months.
“COVID-19 would be a death sentence for me,” he said.
Linda Jara, a Philadelphia resident and a heart transplant survivor, said she relies on the Postal Service for everyday needs and is planning on voting by mail in the election.
“It will definitely not be safe for me to vote in flu season in the midst of a pandemic,” she said.