Democratic senator launching probe into USPS delivery delays

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) on Thursday announced a probe into reports of delayed mail deliveries following leadership changes at the U.S. Postal Service.

Peters said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican donor who took office in June, has failed to answer questions about delivery delays. These delays, Peters said, “are preventing Americans from receiving critical mail on time, including prescription drugs, business mail and mail-in ballots.″

Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, called for stories from the public about any experiences with delivery delays.

“[I]n recent weeks, I’ve heard firsthand from constituents, postal workers and local officials in Michigan who have encountered problems with the timely and dependable service they count on to conduct business, get prescription medications and critical supplies, and even exercise their right to vote,” he said in a statement.

“As Ranking Member of the committee charged with oversight of the Postal Service, I will be working to get to the bottom of any changes that the new Postmaster General may be directing that undercut the Postal Service’s tradition of effective service,” he added.

DeJoy met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday for what Schumer called a “heated discussion.” Schumer said Democratic leaders have urged DeJoy against USPS cutbacks due to the high levels of mail-in voting likely to occur in the 2020 election.

DeJoy has also curtailed overtime for workers and ordered mail be kept overnight if distribution centers run late.

President Trump has frequently blasted mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud and blamed it for delayed results in New York’s Democratic primaries. Earlier this week, he abruptly defended mail-in voting in Florida specifically. Experts have said there is no evidence mail-in voting leads to increased fraud, and several Western states have long allowed the practice.

David Partenheimer, a spokesman for the Postal Service, denied the USPS is slowing down deliveries.

“We continue to employ a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling of all election mail consistent with our standards,″ he told The Associated Press.