Breaking it down: what's happening with USPS?

There’s a lot of news and controversy surrounding what’s happening at USPS, and the impact the agency may have on voting in the 2020 election. Here’s some brief background on what’s going on:

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a record number of people in the U.S. are expected to vote by mail in some way; either by mail-in, absentee, or early voting. The question surrounding the 2020 election and USPS is whether the service can handle the influx of ballots.

The USPS is, and has been for years, struggling financially. President Trump appointed Louis Dejoy to be postmaster general in June of 2020. Once he started he created new policies and changes within operations which have in turn slowed mail delivery all over the country. Some of these policies include restricting overtime, removing sorting machines and maildrop boxes, and closing some post offices locations all together.

Dejoy faced near immediate backlash from the public and from lawmakers. Democrats and some Republicans excused Dejoy, a Trump ally, of intentionally harming the efficiency within USPS to impact voting in the 2020 election.

The post office needs a bailout in order to be able to continue to operate. President Trump doesn’t want more people voting by mail and refuses a bailout. (Listen here. He says so himself.)House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, called the House back into session over the weekend and passed a bill to fund USPS and offer support for the election.

Dejoy has testified before both chambers of congress, and has said that he is committed to making sure that the Post Office is prepared for the 2020 election. USPS has launched a new website dedicated to the election. You can find all the voting information you need here.