Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) issued this statement on the recent operational changes made to the USPS by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

“The current administration’s ongoing attack on the Postal Service is a dangerous move that is undermining the very foundation of our democracy. Millions of voters – including President Trump – are opting to vote by mail this year to keep themselves and poll workers healthy and safe. In states like Washington, where vote by mail has been the tried and true voting method for just shy of a decade, the changes to the Postal Service can harm people’s trust in the election process and disenfranchise voters. However, these changes have other immediate consequences.  I have heard from over 3,000 constituents about how critical medication has been delayed, important paperwork has taken weeks to arrive, and late fees have been assessed due to bills and payments not reaching their destination in time.

“Though Postmaster General DeJoy’s so-called ‘operational changes’ to the Postal Service have been suspended, they have already taken their toll. We need a fully functioning Postal Service, especially during this pandemic, and House Democrats will not allow these changes to impact the election and unduly burden the American people. The Postal Service must be returned to its regular operations and reverse any and all changes that have already been made.”

Earlier today, Congresswoman DelBene held an event with Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-02) in Everett to denounce the Trump administration’s attacks on the USPS. Watch footage from the event here.

DelBene is a cosponsor of the Delivering for America Act, which prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020. She also introduced the Resilient Elections During Quarantines and Natural Disasters Act (H.R. 6202) in March, which would require states and localities to create and administer plans to operate their elections in the event of quarantines advised by public health and government officials, and requires states to offer all voters the ability to vote by absentee ballot if a quarter of all states have declared an emergency related to an infectious disease or a natural disaster.