DeJoy testifies before Congress, commits to delivering election ballots on time

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy committed to delivering ballots and election mail on time in testimony before the U.S. Senate on Friday, his first public statement since the U.S. Postal Service has come under intense scrutiny for extensive mail delays.

A former logistics executive and close ally of President Donald Trump, DeJoy faced intense criticism for a number of policies he adopted that many said led to delivery delays of prescription drugs and financial documents and caused worries to grow that the Postal Service would not be able to handle ballots in the upcoming presidential election.

DeJoy told members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee that he would commit to delivering ballots within one to three days, as they have been in past elections, and he noted that he himself has voted by mail in the past.

“We will deploy processes and procedures that advances any election mail, in some cases ahead of first class mail,” DeJoy said.

“We all feel bad about what the dip in the level of service has been,” he added, insisting that many of the perceived changes — the removal of mailboxes and mail sorting machines — preceded his appointment in June.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the second Democrat to pursue questioning, appeared to suffer some technical difficulties during the hearing, which was conducted remotely from offices and homes. As committee chairman Ron Johnson prepared to move to the next senator, Carper suddenly came on the air in the videoconference and could be heard shouting his frustrations by repeating an obscenity, “F—, f—, f—.”

An aide rushed over to help, and Carper then was able to pepper DeJoy with a series of rapid-fire questions.

In his testimony, DeJoy said his policy changes are still necessary, and that he was attempting to ensure that postal trucks go out on delivery on time, which would ensure greater deliveries. Operations at the processing plants did not meet his policy plans, he said.

“We have significant efforts to continue and improve on that process and everyone here is working here feverishly to get that right,” DeJoy said.

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When asked for a detailed analysis of the agency’s operations, the postmaster general would not immediately commit to providing the document to senators. He also would not say whether he did an analysis of how his policy changes would affect veterans, the elderly or families who send financial documents by mail.

“The only analysis I did was if trucks leave on time,” he said. “Everyone should have gotten their mail faster.”

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