NORTHAMPTON — Standing outside of the Bridge Street post office Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern accused President Donald Trump of “sabotaging” the Postal Service for his own electoral gain and called for the resignation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
The congressman’s event came hours before DeJoy said that some of the controversial changes he had previously announced at the USPS would wait until after the election “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.”
These changes included the planned removal of mail-processing machines and blue collection boxes, as well as an initiative to change retail hours at post offices. DeJoy also said that no mail processing facilities will be closed and said the agency has not eliminated overtime.
Critics argued that the changes would derail the electoral process as many states, including Massachusetts, prepare for widespread mail-in voting. Meanwhile, Trump continues to push unfounded claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread election fraud while also opposing demands from Democrats for additional postal funding, according to The New York Times.
In a statement responding to the news of DeJoy’s reversal, McGovern said, “They got caught red-handed trying to cheat.”
McGovern said he would continue to work toward bringing the “Delivering for America Act” to the House floor for a vote this Saturday — a bill that he said would reverse the changes DeJoy had previously announced and provide $25 billion in emergency funding for the USPS.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this president and his accomplices, it’s that they have no problem lying to the press, lying to the American people, and breaking their promises,” McGovern said in the statement. “DeJoy has still not addressed his conflicts of interest or whether he will reverse the changes he already made. But he should know this: We are watching his every move, and we will not let him get away with sabotaging the USPS to help his boss win the election.”
A Republican donor, DeJoy assumed his current position in June and made operational changes such as the elimination of employee overtime, the removal of mail-sorting machines from postal facilities and the reorganization of Postal Service leadership, according to The New York Times. These changes slowed mail service in some areas and raised concerns about whether the USPS would be able to handle a massive influx of mail-in ballots, the Times reported.
In a television interview last week with Fox Business, Trump spoke about the demands from Democrats for additional funding.
“They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said during that interview, according to The New York Times. “If they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.”
McGovern said Trump was trying to undermine the election process and suppress the vote.
“He thinks messing up the election and throwing our country into chaos will help him win in November,” McGovern said.
The congressman painted DeJoy as Trump’s “accomplice” who he said introduced operational changes that “degrade delivery standards and delay the mail” right before the election.
“That timing is more than suspicious,” McGovern said. “It’s criminal.”
“DeJoy must resign so we can protect the USPS from political interference and protect the integrity of this election from Donald Trump’s attempt to sabotage it,” he added later.
McGovern said he would be traveling to Washington to convene the Rules Committee, which he chairs, so Democrats can bring the “Delivering for America Act” to the House floor for a vote Saturday. In addition to providing $25 billion in funding, it would also prohibit USPS from making changes to operations or levels of service it had in place Jan. 1.
“People have to speak up and speak out,” McGovern said.
John Bonifaz, president of the nonprofit Free Speech for People, said at Tuesday’s press conference that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the USPS has become central to the function of the country’s electoral process.
“People should not have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their fundamental right to vote,” Bonifaz said. “And that means expanded vote-by-mail for all Americans who choose to vote that way. It needs to be safe and secure.”
Bonifaz rebutted Trump’s claims that there will be election fraud because of vote-by-mail.
“The design behind those comments is to try to undermine the integrity of our elections and to attack our democracy,” Bonifaz said.
Michael Harazmus, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Western MA, the union representing letter carriers, said the operational changes were slowing down mail delivery.
“This is a nonpartisan issue. This is an apolitical institution. It is not a business, it’s the postal service,” Harazmus said. “It’s the American people’s postal service.”
Clare Higgins, executive director of Community Action Pioneer Valley and former Northampton mayor, said the Postal Service is critical to the functioning of her organization. Many of those her agency works with every day depend on the mail because they do not have internet. She also said many people get medications delivered to their homes through the mail.
“The people who need the post office the most are the people who are the poorest,” Higgins said.