In his opening statement before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, U.S. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy said he wanted to assure the public that “the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on time,” and that this duty was his number one priority between now and election day. He also said that the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to operate in a financially self-sustaining fashion is “fundamentally at risk” due to more than a decade of monetary losses, including a projected $11 billion in 2020. He urged Congress to enact legislative and regulatory reforms to address the Postal Service’s current financial condition, including integrating its retiree benefits program with Medicare and rationalizing pension funding payments. DeJoy testified to the Senate panel after changes to postal operations -- like the removal of mailboxes and limiting of overtime hours -- that have caused mail delays and drawn suggestions that the moves amount to political interference ahead of the November election.

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