WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman John Joyce is taking a stand against legislation targeted at the U.S. Postal Service.
Earlier this month, Congress introduced the Delivering for America Act (H.R. 8015). The bill prohibits the U.S. Postal Service from making changes to operations or levels of service from those that were in effect on January 1, 2020.
Specifically, the USPS may not, during the period beginning on enactment of this bill and ending on the last day of the COVID-19 public health emergency or January 1, 2021, whichever is later, implement or approve any change to the operations or the level of service that would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services, including: changes in the nature of services that will generally affect service on a nationwide basis; revisions of service standards; closures or consolidations of post offices or reduction of facility hours; prohibitions on payment of overtime pay to USPS officers or employees; changes that would prevent the USPS from meeting its service standards or that would reduce measurements of performance concerning those standards; and changes that would have the effect of delaying mail, allowing non-delivery to a delivery route, or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.
In a statement released Saturday, Joyce said criticized the legislation. “Rather than help hardworking American families, schools, medical teams, workers, or small businesses that are hurting during the coronavirus crisis, Speaker Pelosi instead has focused the full efforts of the U.S. House of Representatives on a baseless conspiracy theory about the U.S. Postal Service.
“Free and fair elections are a hallmark of our American democracy, and every eligible American citizen must have the opportunity to cast a vote and make their voice heard. At the same time, we cannot allow politicians to undermine our elections for the sake of their own political interests,” Joyce said “The U.S. Postal Service has confirmed that it does not require additional funds to ensure reliable mail delivery during the coronavirus crisis and for the upcoming election. In fact, Congress provided direct support to the U.S. Postal Service in the CARES Act that the agency has yet to access.
“The legislation we considered today would needlessly appropriate $25 billion to this agency – without requiring a single reform to prevent further abuse of taxpayer dollars. The American people should not be on the hook to bailout the U.S. Postal Service under the guise of protecting our elections. Instead of squandering time and resources on politically-motivated conspiracy theories, I urge Speaker Pelosi to reconvene the House and get to work on providing targeted relief to the Americans who need it most.”
