An overwhelming bipartisan majority of Americans say funding for the U.S. Postal Service "should be increased" to ensure timely delivery of the mail, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday. That support was solidly bipartisan, including 88% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans.
The poll, taken August 14-18 following revelations that Donald Trump's Postmaster General has been sabotaging the Postal Service, also found that fully 78% of respondents believe a well-functioning Postal Service is integral to fielding a "smooth and successful election during the coronavirus pandemic.” Once again, the view was overwhelmingly bipartisan, shared by 92% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans.
The substantial support for shoring up the Postal Service in the lead up to the election comes as House Democrats prepare to take emergency action Saturday to both provide the agency with much-needed funding and reverse actions taken by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to sabotage the agency's capacity. The details of that Democratic bill weren't entirely clear as of Wednesday evening, but Democrats had originally included $25 billion in USPS funding in the House-passed coronavirus relief bill Senate Republicans refused to take up.
Despite the nation's overwhelming support for the Postal Service, House Republicans are already whipping against the Democrats' forthcoming USPS bill. Frankly, it's political lunacy. Their explicit support for helping Trump and DeJoy dismantle an agency that enjoys a 91% approval rating amid a raging pandemic will cost them seats in November. And they'll deserve it for being among the most useless creatures on earth.
DeJoy actually admitted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a phone call Wednesday that he has "no intention" of reversing the harm he's done to the agency even though he issued a statement Tuesday claiming he would "suspend" the policy changes until after the elections.
Indeed, DeJoy's hatchet job continues, with reports Wednesday from both Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Waterloo, Iowa, revealing his effort to dismantle mail sorting machines that are critical to timely mail delivery.
The poll also found Trump's job rating to be 39% approve, 56% disapprove.
