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Members of Congress, writes Reich, "must step in and do four things to protect the Postal Service and the integrity of mail-in voting before it's too late." (Photo: via Change.org)
Four Things We Must Do to Save the Post Office From Trump-GOP Attack
The stakes could not be higher.
Aug 25, 2020
It's no secret Donald Trump will do anything to hold on to power. His latest strategy is to sabotage the United States Postal Service, courtesy of his handpicked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
A Republican mega donor with no postal experience, DeJoy instituted sweeping measures that have caused massive mail delays across the country. As national outrage reached a fever pitch, DeJoy announced he would delay policy changes that slow down mail delivery, until after the election.
But the USPS is still very much under attack.
DeJoy's statement is nothing more than empty rhetoric. He didn't even list which policies he would postpone. One of the few policies he did mention was overtime pay, which he said would be paid "as needed," but guess who decides what's needed? He does.
DeJoy also needs to repair the damage he's already done. He told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he has "no intention" of replacing removed mailboxes and sorting machines, and instructed USPS employees to not reconnect or reinstall the sorting machines.
And nothing is forcing DeJoy to follow through even on his weak promises. If the past three and a half years have shown us anything, it's that we can never count on Trump officials to follow through on their promises.
Trump openly admitted he was sabotaging the post office to stop people from voting. Now his political stooge postmaster general is basically saying "trust me."
Sorry, Mr. DeJoy, we don't trust you.
Congress must step in and do four things to protect the Postal Service and the integrity of mail-in voting before it's too late:
1. Provide needed funding for the Postal Service in the next COVID-19 relief bill.
2. Force DeJoy to repair all the damage he's already caused, returning the USPS back to full capacity.
3. Fully investigate DeJoy's conflicts of interest. DeJoy still has at least a $30 million stake in his former company XPO Logistics, which directly competes with the Postal Service -- putting him in a position to profit directly from any loss of Postal Service customers.
4. Pass legislation specifically blocking the Postal Service from instituting any changes that would slow mail delivery in the lead-up to November.
Trump and DeJoy will stop at nothing to sabotage the USPS and steal the election -- and there's no telling the damage Trump will wreak if he's able to swindle a second term.
Call your members of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and demand your representatives take these urgent steps to save the USPS and protect the election. The stakes couldn't be higher.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
It's no secret Donald Trump will do anything to hold on to power. His latest strategy is to sabotage the United States Postal Service, courtesy of his handpicked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
A Republican mega donor with no postal experience, DeJoy instituted sweeping measures that have caused massive mail delays across the country. As national outrage reached a fever pitch, DeJoy announced he would delay policy changes that slow down mail delivery, until after the election.
But the USPS is still very much under attack.
DeJoy's statement is nothing more than empty rhetoric. He didn't even list which policies he would postpone. One of the few policies he did mention was overtime pay, which he said would be paid "as needed," but guess who decides what's needed? He does.
DeJoy also needs to repair the damage he's already done. He told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he has "no intention" of replacing removed mailboxes and sorting machines, and instructed USPS employees to not reconnect or reinstall the sorting machines.
And nothing is forcing DeJoy to follow through even on his weak promises. If the past three and a half years have shown us anything, it's that we can never count on Trump officials to follow through on their promises.
Trump openly admitted he was sabotaging the post office to stop people from voting. Now his political stooge postmaster general is basically saying "trust me."
Sorry, Mr. DeJoy, we don't trust you.
Congress must step in and do four things to protect the Postal Service and the integrity of mail-in voting before it's too late:
1. Provide needed funding for the Postal Service in the next COVID-19 relief bill.
2. Force DeJoy to repair all the damage he's already caused, returning the USPS back to full capacity.
3. Fully investigate DeJoy's conflicts of interest. DeJoy still has at least a $30 million stake in his former company XPO Logistics, which directly competes with the Postal Service -- putting him in a position to profit directly from any loss of Postal Service customers.
4. Pass legislation specifically blocking the Postal Service from instituting any changes that would slow mail delivery in the lead-up to November.
Trump and DeJoy will stop at nothing to sabotage the USPS and steal the election -- and there's no telling the damage Trump will wreak if he's able to swindle a second term.
Call your members of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and demand your representatives take these urgent steps to save the USPS and protect the election. The stakes couldn't be higher.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
It's no secret Donald Trump will do anything to hold on to power. His latest strategy is to sabotage the United States Postal Service, courtesy of his handpicked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
A Republican mega donor with no postal experience, DeJoy instituted sweeping measures that have caused massive mail delays across the country. As national outrage reached a fever pitch, DeJoy announced he would delay policy changes that slow down mail delivery, until after the election.
But the USPS is still very much under attack.
DeJoy's statement is nothing more than empty rhetoric. He didn't even list which policies he would postpone. One of the few policies he did mention was overtime pay, which he said would be paid "as needed," but guess who decides what's needed? He does.
DeJoy also needs to repair the damage he's already done. He told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he has "no intention" of replacing removed mailboxes and sorting machines, and instructed USPS employees to not reconnect or reinstall the sorting machines.
And nothing is forcing DeJoy to follow through even on his weak promises. If the past three and a half years have shown us anything, it's that we can never count on Trump officials to follow through on their promises.
Trump openly admitted he was sabotaging the post office to stop people from voting. Now his political stooge postmaster general is basically saying "trust me."
Sorry, Mr. DeJoy, we don't trust you.
Congress must step in and do four things to protect the Postal Service and the integrity of mail-in voting before it's too late:
1. Provide needed funding for the Postal Service in the next COVID-19 relief bill.
2. Force DeJoy to repair all the damage he's already caused, returning the USPS back to full capacity.
3. Fully investigate DeJoy's conflicts of interest. DeJoy still has at least a $30 million stake in his former company XPO Logistics, which directly competes with the Postal Service -- putting him in a position to profit directly from any loss of Postal Service customers.
4. Pass legislation specifically blocking the Postal Service from instituting any changes that would slow mail delivery in the lead-up to November.
Trump and DeJoy will stop at nothing to sabotage the USPS and steal the election -- and there's no telling the damage Trump will wreak if he's able to swindle a second term.
Call your members of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and demand your representatives take these urgent steps to save the USPS and protect the election. The stakes couldn't be higher.
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