Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to appear for a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing next week as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concern over the direction of the U.S. Postal Service.
DeJoy, who is an ally of President Trump's and a major Republican donor, took over leadership of the Postal Service in May. And pressure has grown throughout the summer for him to answer questions about his plans to "implement an organizational realignment" at the agency.
"The American people want their mail, medicines, and mail-in ballots delivered in a timely way, and they certainly do not want drastic changes and delays in the midst of a global pandemic just months before the election," House Oversight Chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said in announcing DeJoy's agreement to testify.
The agency has long been in financial trouble, having lost $9 billion last year. But DeJoy's cost-cutting measures have drawn the ire of Democrats, who fear the cuts could disrupt the mailing of ballots ahead of the November general election. Republicans, many of whom represent rural voters dependent on the mail, are also concerned about the changes to postal delivery.
The oversight hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET Monday, and the chair of the U.S. Postal Service board governors, Robert Duncan, is also set to testify. The board oversees the Postal Service and was responsible for hiring DeJoy, a former private-sector logistics CEO.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
