Leading Demand for IG Probe, Warren Accuses Trump and New Postmaster General of 'Sabotaging' Postal Service

"They are delaying Social Security checks and other mail and potentially disenfranchising millions of voters."


by
Jake Johnson, staff writer

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/07/leading-demand-ig-probe-warren-accuses-trump-and-new-postmaster-general-sabotaging?




Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other top Democrats on Friday demanded that the U.S. Postal Service inspector general launch an investigation into recent operational changes implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that threaten the timely delivery of mail-in ballots and "the well-being of millions of Americans."

The call for a probe comes after DeJoy, a major Republican donor to President Donald Trump and a former logistics executive, confirmed in a memo (pdf) Friday that he is pressing ahead with an overhaul of the "organizational structure" of USPS with less than 100 days to go before the November elections.


As Common Dreams reported last week, mail carriers have raised alarm over new policies barring overtime and prohibiting workers from sorting mail ahead of their morning deliveries, warning that the changes could be intended to pave the way for privatization. The policies have already resulted in major mail backlogs across the nation, from Pennsylvania to Michigan to New York.In their letter (pdf) to Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb, the Democratic lawmakers wrote that "given the ongoing concerns about the adverse impacts of Trump administration policies on the quality and efficiency of the Postal Service, we ask that you conduct an audit of all operational changes put in place by Mr. DeJoy and other Trump administration officials in 2020."

The "slower and less reliable mail delivery" caused by DeJoy's policies, the lawmakers warned, endangers "the well-being of millions of Americans that rely on the Postal Service for delivery of Social Security checks, prescriptions, and everyday mail of all kinds."




The lawmakers also urged the inspector general to investigate DeJoy's potential conflicts of interest. As the Washington Post reported, DeJoy and his wife's "holdings include between $30.1 million and $75.3 million in assets in USPS competitors or contractors."

In addition to Warren, the letter was signed by House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

On Twitter, Warren declared that "Trump and his postmaster are sabotaging USPS."

"They are delaying Social Security checks and other mail and potentially disenfranchising millions of voters," Warren wrote. "The USPS Inspector General should investigate Trump megadonor Louis DeJoy's bad decisions and personal conflicts of interest."