- The Washington Times - Monday, August 24, 2020

GOP Rep. James Comer on Monday accused Democrats of pursuing a “baseless conspiracy theory” about overwhelming problems at the U.S. Postal Service, a claim House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney ardently rejected.

Democrats and Republicans teed up for a long series of clashes Monday as they grill Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on recent policy changes to the USPS, which have prompted concerns about mail delays across the country.

Ms. Maloney, New York Democrat, shared data she released on Friday showing a steep drop in service for the agency starting in July.

“These are not isolated complaints. They are widespread,” she said.

She also argued that Mr. DeJoy’s leadership has been incompetent at best and at worse an intentional effort to undermine the agency to benefit President Trump in the election.

Recent reports about new policy changes — including the collection of mailboxes, decommissioning mail sorting machines, changes to mail routes and cuts to overtime — have sparked concern about the Postal Service’s ability to function efficiently during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican and the ranking member of the Oversight committee, said Democrats were only pursuing this for political gain.

He also slammed their Postal Service bill — which grants $25 billion to the agency but reins in any new policy changes — for being pushed through the House before a hearing was even held.

“Democrats fabricated a baseless conspiracy theory about the Postal Service and hastily passed a bill Saturday before hearing from you, Mr. DeJoy. The bill had no prior committee action to vet the bill — no hearings, no markup,” he said. “This chain of events shows Democrats are not serious about meaningful reform. The president doesn’t support the bill, the Postal Service doesn’t support the bill, and the Senate isn’t likely to act on the bill. This is a political stunt.”

• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.

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