Louis DeJoy is backing up. The director of the American postal services, close to Donald Trump, announced Tuesday, August 18, the suspension of any change in the level of mail services until the presidential election in November. He thus yields to criticism from Democrats who feared that the postal vote would be disrupted in favor of the Republican president.

"I am suspending these initiatives until the end of the elections," said Louis DeJoy, who has headed the United States Postal Service (USPS) since the spring. He said changes "prior to (his) arrival" had "raised concerns as the country prepares to hold elections amid a devastating pandemic".

Several voices have been raised in recent days against Donald Trump, accused of trying to slow down the postal vote that he thinks favorable to his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, who is ahead of him in the polls. Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that an increase in the number of postal ballots would lead to more fraud.

Abstention

His opponents believe that the president is above all convinced that voting by mail could be favorable to his opponent, by reducing the rate of abstention traditionally observed among voters from minorities and the working classes, who are supposed to lean towards the Democratic side.

Planned courier reforms, intended to save money but threaten to slow deliveries, included a reduction in overtime as well as new sorting and delivery policies.

"The post office is ready today to manage the electoral mail that it will receive this fall, regardless of its volume," Louis DeJoy assured Tuesday. "We will deliver the electoral mail within the allotted time (...). Americans must know that it is our priority until the day of the election", he promised.

Voting in the House

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, said the announcements by Louis DeJoy, a major Republican Party donor, were insufficient and that the House was still planning to pass a postal service bill on Saturday.

"This pause only stops a limited number of 'Postmaster' measures, does not erase the damage already done and is not enough on its own to ensure that voters are not deprived of their rights by the President this fall. "Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "The House will go ahead with our vote this Saturday," she added.

Louis DeJoy must also be heard on Friday by a Senate committee and Monday in the House.

With Reuters and AFP

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