“More than 3,000 constituents have contacted my office recently about Postal Service delays,” says Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, “and they can’t afford to have the Trump administration playing politics with their mail and their medications.”
Trump has repeatedly said that mail-in voting will lead to election fraud—a claim experts say has no basis in fact. Democrats, who want to increase voter turnout, say post office delays will make it harder—and more risky—for many people to vote during the pandemic.
Some Republican lawmakers have expressed confidence in the post office. “The facts show the U.S.P.S. is equipped to handle this election,” says Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader.
Amid an outcry from lawmakers, civil rights groups, and state officials, DeJoy said in a statement that “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail” he was suspending changes. He says he’s trying to reform an organization with a “broken business model.”
Kosar agrees that the postal service needs reform. Its infrastructure is set up to handle paper mail, not the packages that are more and more of its business, he explains. But he has great faith in the post office’s ability to evolve and continue to serve Americans.
“It’s a critical public service,” Kosar says. “We’re in a pandemic, and one of the reasons we’re able to get through this is that the post office is still operating.”