Hawley questions Postmaster General

U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says the agency will prioritize ballots over other mail in the run-up to the November election.

During a virtual U.S. Senate committee hearing Friday, Democrats blasted DeJoy for reports of slowing down the mail while Republicans said Democrats are putting out “misinformation”.

Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, who serves on the committee, questioned DeJoy about the financial state of the Postal Service.

During the virtual hearing, Hawley also questioned DeJoy about getting mail to rural communities.

Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Kansas City, says he fears the Postal Service’s overall money problems will lead to privatization, and doing so would especially hurt rural areas.

The Postal Service has been struggling financially due to a decline in mail volume, the pandemic causing costs to climb, among other things. DeJoy says the removal of hundreds of mail sorting machines and blue mailboxes has been paused but he says the machines already removed will not be replaced. He says the Postal Service needs the room to sort packages – not letters.