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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

House passes bill to support Post Office

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House passes bill to support Post Office
House passes bill to support Post Office

[NFA] The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives voted on Saturday to provide the cash-strapped Postal Service with $25 billion and block policy changes that have stirred concerns about mail-in balloting ahead of the presidential election.

This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.

PELOSI: “This for us is a joyous occasion, to come together, to vote for the postal service...” At a rare Saturday session called by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House of Representatives to provide the cash-strappedPostal Service with 25 billion dollars - after more than three hours of debate.

The bill also blocks policies that have caused widespread concern over mail-in ballots ahead of the November 3 election.

House Democrats call it the “Delivering for America Act.” HIGGINS: “...An act to protect the United States Postal Service from the destructive acts of the president and his postmaster disaster.” Ahead of the vote, Trump took to Twitter calling the bill a 'money wasting hoax.'

With mail-in voting expected to surge this year, President Donald Trump has alarmed Democrats by saying - without evidence - that mail-in ballots are a possible source of election fraud.

TRUMP (JULY 30): "Mail in ballots will lead to the greatest fraud." Pelosi on Saturday blasted Trump for his claims: PELOSI: “Don’t pay any attention to what the president is saying because it is all designed to suppress the vote." Postmaster General Louis DeJoy - a Trump Donor - recently suspended cost-cutting measures that have slowed deliveries.

Democrats on the House floor cried foul: DINGELL: “The actions by the Postmaster General in recent weeks is a sabotaged campaign aimed at manipulating mail service." But Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized the Democrats for introducing the bill: MCCARTHY: “The Postal Service is not incapacitated.

It is still fully capable of delivering the mail.” Postmaster DeJoy told a Senate committee on Friday that USPS would deliver ballots "securely and on time" but said bigger changes could come after the election.

DEJOY (Friday): “We're considering, we're considering dramatic changes to improve the service to the American people, yes.” Pelosi said the bill would support mail delivery even after the election.

But - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that the Senate would "absolutely not pass" the stand-alone bill.

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