August 28, 2020 IN: National, Press Room
SEARAC Demands Preservation of the USPS, Encourages Absentee Voting
For immediate release
August 28, 2020
Media contact:
Elaine Sanchez Wilson
elaine@searac.org
(202) 601-2970
Washington, DC – SEARAC denounces the Trump Administration and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s efforts to dismantle the US Postal Service. Since his appointment, DeJoy has throttled mail delivery as part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing sabotage of the Postal Service, harming communities across the country that rely on timely mail. In fact, President Trump has admitted publicly that he opposes funding for the USPS because he wants to prevent voting by mail.
The US House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation last Saturday that would preserve the ability of the USPS to deliver mail. This includes critical services such as absentee ballots cast for the general election in November, information sent by government agencies about the Covid-19 pandemic, prescription medicines, government assistance checks, and more. The bill would block operational changes that would result in reduced services from taking place until after the end of the pandemic. It would also provide the USPS an additional $25 billion, an amount previously recommended to Congress by the USPS board of governors. Unfortunately, the bill faces strong opposition in the US Senate and a veto threat by the White House.
