Fighting Back: “The Postal Service is under attack and Democrats are fighting back.”

August 22, 2020 JanF Editors' Choice, Fighting Back 3

 
 

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York calling for an urgent response to the Republican sabotage of our postal service.

(Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney discussed House Democrats’ urgent response to the Trump Administration’s campaign to sabotage the Postal Service, which threatens lives, livelihoods and the life of our American democracy.)

The Postal Service delivers more than 470 million pieces of mail each day to every home and business across the United States. It provides a critical lifeline by providing universal access to medications, supplies and mail for every single American, no matter where you live.

Today, I will not mince words. The Postal Service is under attack. In newspapers from every corner of the country, we have seen the stories and pictures. Mail is being delayed by days and sometimes even weeks. Sorting equipment is being ripped out of postal facilities and thrown into dumpsters; and mailboxes are being removed from street corners; and overtime is being denied for our postal carriers, who are some of our most essential workers during the coronavirus crisis.

This didn’t happen by accident. It was intentional. This happened because President Trump has been blocking critical funding for the Postal Services now for months and now his hand-picked Postmaster General is using this fact to justify sweeping and damaging changes that are degrading postal operations before our very eyes.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

Transcript: Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney Delivers Weekly Democratic Address

Hello, I’m Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. I have the privilege of representing parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. I also serve as the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform in the House of Representatives.

Today, I would like to talk to you about one of our most enduring and beloved institutions – the United States Postal Service – one of the few entities specifically mentioned by our Founders in the Constitution.

The Postal Service delivers more than 470 million pieces of mail each day to every home and business across the United States. It provides a critical lifeline by providing universal access to medications, supplies and mail for every single American, no matter where you live.

Today, I will not mince words. The Postal Service is under attack. In newspapers from every corner of the country, we have seen the stories and pictures. Mail is being delayed by days and sometimes even weeks. Sorting equipment is being ripped out of postal facilities and thrown into dumpsters; and mailboxes are being removed from street corners; and overtime is being denied for our postal carriers, who are some of our most essential workers during the coronavirus crisis.

This didn’t happen by accident. It was intentional. This happened because President Trump has been blocking critical funding for the Postal Services now for months and now his hand-picked Postmaster General is using this fact to justify sweeping and damaging changes that are degrading postal operations before our very eyes.

Last week, President Trump admitted on national television that he has been blocking $25 billion in critical assistance, assistance that was requested by the Postal Service, because he wants to hobble mail-in voting.

Now, think about that for a minute. That is about the most undemocratic action I can think of.

What’s worse, instead of supporting funding to strengthen an institution that is vital to every American, the Trump Administration is going in the opposite direction and dismantling long-standing policies and procedures, with disastrous consequences. We cannot and will not stand by and let that happen.

This past Tuesday, as part of our Day of Action to Save the Post Office, more than 100 House Democrats hosted events in our districts to support the Postal Service, its mission and postal workers.

We have requested a host of documents from the Postmaster General, which are due this week, and we have called him to testify before our Committee on Monday morning.

In addition, on this Saturday, the House will reconvene for a special session to vote on my bill, the Delivering for America Act. This legislation will do two important things. First, it will provide the $25 billion the Postal Service requested, which was supported unanimously by the Postal Service Board of Governors, all of whom were appointed by President Trump. And it will return delivery standards to the way they were before the Postmaster General’s sweeping changes.

We want the Postmaster General to undo the damage he has already done, put back the sorting machines and mailboxes he has already removed and prioritize official election mail as First-Class mail, as it previously was.

Every Member of Congress should support this bill. This is not a partisan issue. Republicans across the country have expressed their own serious concerns about these delays and the President’s statements. It makes absolutely no sense to impose these kinds of dangerous cuts in the middle of a pandemic and just months before the elections in November.

What is happening right now is impacting everyone—in rural and urban communities, among seniors, veterans, small businesses and families across the country. I believe the American people want their mail left alone. They want to go back to the way things were before all these changes began. And they certainly do not want the Postal Service to be politicized. Our legislation achieves all of the goals. I hope the American people will continue letting their Representatives know how they feel.

Thank you for listening. Thank you.

Any bolding has been added.

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Congress was not in session last week so there was no Thursday news conference by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

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3 Comments

  1. Dear Colleague on Fighting For The People in COVID Relief Negotiations and Saving the U.S. Postal Service

    August 20, 2020

    Dear Democratic Colleague,

    Thank you for the strong participation of the House Democratic Caucus in the Day of Action to Save the Post Office this Tuesday. More than 100 Members participated in events, and the action of our Caucus representing the concerns of the American people has made a tremendous difference.

    Yesterday, I spoke to the Postmaster General directly. As I said in the statement I released, I told him that his proposed pause is wholly insufficient and does not reverse damage already wreaked. The Postmaster General also admitted that he had no intention of replacing the sorting machines, blue mailboxes and other key mail infrastructure that have been removed and that plans to ensure sufficient overtime, which is critical for the timely delivery of mail, are not in the works.

    Therefore, in the name of our democracy and the veterans, seniors, families and small businesses who depend on the Post Office, we will pass the Delivering for America Act. I thank all of the Members who will be voting to defend the Postal Service. While I hope we have Republican support, I was sad to receive a letter from the Republican Leadership denying that there is a crisis.

    As we review suggestions for our agenda, I continue to appreciate the thoughtfulness and commitment of our Members to America’s working families. The ideas Members have put forth have been excellent and I have shared them with the Chairs of the committees of jurisdiction to be part of our legislative agenda.

    However, we must consider their timing and strategic value. They cannot come at the expense of addressing the priorities of the Heroes Act — particularly support for our heroes in state and local government and education, who are in crisis.

    In the 97 days since we passed the Heroes Act, 4.1 million more Americans have become infected and 86,000 more have died. Today, nearly 28 million Americans are unemployed. Sadly, Republicans do not share our sense of urgency.

    The American people are desperately counting on us to meet their needs. Lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy are threatened by Republicans’ opposition or inaction.

    Thank you for your leadership For The People.

    best regards,

    NANCY

  2. Thanks for this, Jan. I thought I couldn’t hate and despise anyone more than I hate and despise Thing. But I loathe apple-cheeked DeJoy EQUALLY! You know, there’s a word for deliberately and knowingly withholding needed medications from people: it’s murder.

    I hope DeJoy is GRILLED on the Hill tomorrow!

  3. Weekly Democratic Party Address for Saturday, August 29th

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