Postmaster general testifies on mail-in voting before House panel

(ABC News) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before lawmakers for a second round of questioning on Monday, this time before the House Oversight Committee, where Democrats sought additional information about the political firestorm engulfing his agency.

Three months into his tenure at the Postal Service, DeJoy has presided over a widespread overhaul of mail delivery as part of an effort to streamline costs – then backtracked on those changes after delays in service sparked outcry and concern that the ailing agency might struggle to meet absentee voting demands in the presidential election.

On Friday, in a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, DeJoy sought to reassure voters that “the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail fully and on time.”

DeJoy was joined on Monday by Robert Duncan, the chairman of the Postal Service’s powerful Board of Governors, a panel that wields authority over the agency’s long-term strategy, pricing, and selecting its Postmaster General.

“We will be asking Mr. DeJoy some hard questions today,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said in her opening statement.

DeJoy attended the hearing in-person. Duncan appeared virtually.

The committee’s ranking Republican used his opening statement to slam a bill passed over the weekend in the House meant to curb DeJoy’s sweeping cost-cutting changes, calling it a “political stunt.”

“Democrats fabricated a baseless conspiracy theory about the Postal Service and hastily passed a bill Saturday before hearing from you, Mr. DeJoy,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky.

The Postal Service itself came out with a statement late Sunday opposing the bill, which also would send the agency $25 billion, expressing concern “that some of the requirements of the bill, while well meaning, will constrain the ability of the Postal Service to make operational changes.”

Both the Senate and the White House have vowed to block the bill.

In his opening statement, which largely echoed his sentiment before senators last Friday, DeJoy denied that he implemented several of the changes attributed to his cost-cutting measures, calling those assertions a “false narrative.”

“First, I did not direct the removal of blue collection boxes or the removal of mail processing equipment,” he said. “Second, I did not direct the cutback on hours at any of our post offices. And finally, I did not direct the elimination or any cutback in overtime.”

“I did, however, suspend these practices to remove any misperceptions about our commitment to delivering the nation’s election mail.”

During her first round of questioning, Maloney accused DeJoy of “withholding information from [the committee], concealing documents and downplaying the damage that you’re causing.”

She confronted DeJoy with new documents showing significant drops in mail delivery standards since July. In response, DeJoy said the Postal Service is “seeing a nice recovery” in mail delivery times and has “a real good shot of getting back” to expected standards.

But Maloney said the document should have been provided by the Postal Service – she said it was instead shared by an unidentified third party – and threatened DeJoy with a subpoena if his office fails to meet document production deadlines. The next deadline is this coming Wednesday.

“If you continue to withhold information or otherwise fail to comply, you can expect a subpoena,” she said.

After a lengthy diatribe against the Postal Service changes enacted under DeJoy, Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., concluded his time by asking: “What the heck are you doing?”

After taking a moment to share Lynch’s gratitude for postal workers, DeJoy turned: “The rest of your accusations are actually outrageous.”

This prompted a heated back-and-forth.

“Will you put the high-speed [mail sorting] machines back?” Lynch demanded.

“No I will not,” DeJoy shot back.

“You will not?” Lynch asked.

“I will not,” DeJioy responded.

“Well there you go,” Lynch said.

“There I go what?” Lynch said quickly. “They’re not necessary.”

At one point, DeJoy said he has “put word around” to people associated with the Trump campaign that the president’s complaints about the Postal Service “are not helpful.

After telling Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., that he has “had no contact with the Trump campaign” about the Postal Service, DeJoy hedged that statement.

“Did you not tell the Board of Governors this month, in August, that in fact you had had contact with the Trump campaign to ask them to stop their attacks on the postal service and voting by mail?” Connolly asked.

“I have put word around that this is not helpful,” DeJoy said.

“So you did have contact with the Trump campaign – for a good purpose?”

“I’m trying to think – when you say the Trump campaign, I have not spoken to Trump campaign leadership in that regard. I’ve spoken to people that are friends of mine that are associated with the campaign, yes,” DeJoy said.