Government watchdogs, Democratic lawmakers, and pro-democracy advocates declared it a “Friday Night Massacre” for the U.S. Postal Service after news broke in a classic end-of-the-week dump that Louis DeJoy—a major GOP donor to President Donald Trump and the recently appointed Postmaster General—had issued a sweeping overhaul of
the agency, including the ouster of top executives from key posts and
the reshuffling of more than two dozen other officials and operational
managers.
“Trump is actively sabotaging the election under our noses—this isn’t
theoretical, it’s happening RIGHT NOW.” —Brian Tyler Cohen, political
commentatorAccording
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/07/postal-service-investigation-dejoy/
to the /Washington Post/:
The shake-up came as congressional Democrats called for an
investigation of DeJoy and the cost-cutting measures that have
slowed mail delivery and ensnared ballots in recent primary elections.
Twenty-three postal executives were reassigned or displaced, the new
organizational chart shows. Analysts say the structure centralizes
power around DeJoy, a former logistics executive and major ally of
President Trump, and de-emphasizes decades of institutional postal
knowledge. All told, 33 staffers included in the old postal
hierarchy either kept their jobs or were reassigned in the
restructuring, with five more staffers joining the leadership from
other roles.Already under fire
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/06/elections-are-sacred-democrats-demand-postmaster-general-reverse-policies
for recent policy changes at the USPS that mail carriers from within
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/04/postal-union-leader-warns-trump-assault-usps-and-mail-voting-puts-nation-dangerous
and outside critics
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/15/attempted-murder-your-post-office-outrage-trump-crony-now-heading-usps-moves-slow
have denounced as a sabotage effort to undermine the Postal Service
broadly as well as disrupt efforts to carry out mail-in voting for
November’s election amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the moves unveiled late
Friday were viewed as an overt assault on democracy and a calculated
opportunity to boost Republicans’ long-held dream of undercutting or
privatizing the government-run mail service while also boosting their
election prospects in the process.
“Another Friday night massacre by this administration—and this time
dealing another devastating blow to our postal service,” said
https://twitter.com/RepMGS/status/1291888688100716546 Rep. Mary Gay
Scanlon (D-Pa.) “The American people deserve answers and we’re going to
keep fighting for them.”
Scanlon was among more than 80 congressional lawmakers who sent a letter
https://twitter.com/GerryConnolly/status/1291821113476034560to DeJoy
earlier in the day expressing “deep concerns” about operational changes
he has made for mail carriers that have delayed deliveries and lowered
standards.
“It is vital that the U.S. Postal Service not reduce mail delivery
times, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses,
and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and
packages,” the letter stated. “Eliminating overtime and directing postal
workers to leave mail on the floor of postal facilities will erode
confidence in the Postal Service and drive customers away, resulting in
even worse financial conditions in the future.”
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, warned what occurred Friday is
designed to weak the Postal Service, slow vote-by-mail, and disrupt the
2020 Census.
“DeJoy, a Trump donor with no experience inside the postal service, has
been installed to cause chaos and disruption at a time when the timely
delivery of mail could not be more critical.” —Kristen Clarke, Lawyers’
Committee
“We are sounding an alarm regarding personnel changes, policy shifts and
service disruptions happening inside the U.S. Postal Service on Louis
DeJoy’s watch,” Clarke said in a statement. “The postal service lies at
the heart of our democracy and is critical to the success of an
unprecedented vote-by-mail system that is needed for a fair and
effective 2020 election season. The postal service helps ensure that our
nation’s most vulnerable communities are receiving medications and
resources during the pandemic. It is also critical to the efforts to
achieve a full and accurate 2020 Census.”
Clarke said the administration’s intentions are clear: “DeJoy, a Trump
donor with no experience inside the postal service, has been installed
to cause chaos and disruption at a time when the timely delivery of mail
could not be more critical.”
As /Common Dreams/ reported
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/07/leading-demand-ig-probe-warren-accuses-trump-and-new-postmaster-general-sabotaging
earlier Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was among those who signed the
letter and also called for DeJoy’s efforts to be investigated by the
Inspector General of the USPS. Since 2016 alone, DeJoy has donated
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/politics/postmaster-general-louis-dejoy.html
more than $2.5 million to the Republican Party and candidates. In 2020,
prior to his appointment as Postmaster General by the GOP-controlled
board of governors, DeJoy had already given approximately $360,000
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/politics/postmaster-general-louis-dejoy.html
to a Super PAC supporting Trump’s reelection.
Article written by Jon Queally, Common Dreams staff writer
Source: Common Dreams 8/7/20 https://commons.commondreams.org/t/friday-night-massacre-at-us-postal-service-as-postmaster-general-a-major-trump-donor-ousts-top-officials/80919