The Democratic House is taking a break from recess to come back to Washington, D.C. to vote on a bill blocking the U.S. Postal Service’s board of governors from making any changes to service and restoring operations to where they were on Jan. 1. As of now, the vote is scheduled for Saturday, with a follow-up hearing with Donald Trump's lackey Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday, Aug. 24.
That means there's a week in which Democrats can hammer Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader who has been sitting on a bill from the House that would have provided $25 billion in emergency funding for the Postal Service since the middle of May. When that bill passed, McConnell insisted there was "no urgency" in passing further coronavirus relief. Whether he's been in on these plans to effectively dismantle the Postal Service or was just blocking the bill for kicks, he's the primary enabler. That's even being pointed out back in Kentucky, where one headline reads: "Trump wants to destroy the United States Postal Service. McConnell needs to stop him."
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Sen. Chuck Schumer, Senate democratic leader, called on McConnell to "bring the Senate back into session to quickly act on the House's legislation that will undo the extensive damage Mr. DeJoy has done at the Postal Service so that people can get their paychecks, medicines, and other necessities delivered on time, and to ensure our elections will remain completely free and fair." A handful of Democratic senators reinforced the demand, with one struggling Republican joining them.
"The Senate should return this week to consider a COVID-19 package that includes the Postal Service Emergency Assistance Act—a bill I introduced [with Sen. Dianne Feinstein] in July—which would provide USPS [with] up to $25 billion to cover losses or operational expenses resulting from COVID-19," Sen. Susan Collins, the vulnerable Maine Republican, tweeted.
Not that Collins has any sway with McConnell, who as of Monday morning hasn't said a word about the flood of news about the Postal Service, including whether he gives a damn.
