As many pundits, including myself, desired, Congress and other governmental forces have leapt into action with regard to the Postmaster General DeJoy debacle:
The U.S. Postal Service will suspend any policy or operational changes until after the November presidential elections, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Tuesday.
Critics claimed DeJoy was hindering the agency’s ability to accommodate an expected surge in mail-in voting, which he denied.
DeJoy, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a longtime GOP donor who was appointed in May, said he had come to the federal agency to make changes that would allow for “its long-term sustainability,” but he intended to delay those efforts as scrutiny of those practices grew — despite his view that the USPS needed a significant overhaul.
“In the meantime, there are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic,” he said. “To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.” [NBC News]
This is the first step towards victory. DeJoy has agreed to stop advancing along the front, but he’s already done damage to the Post Office. The following actions and retreats must continue:
- Replacement of the equipment reported to have been removed.
- Retraction of policies promulgated.
- Return of personnel to their former positions.
- Continued investigation of DeJoy by the postal service’s Inspector General.
- Continued investigation by Congress. DeJoy, as noted, is scheduled to testify before Congress.
- Continued investigation by state authorities.
To the last point, the NBC News article has this to say:
DeJoy’s announcement came as Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both Democrats, shared their intention to file lawsuits against the postmaster general over his policy changes. At least 18 states are involved in the lawsuits.
When asked by reporters about DeJoy’s announcement, both men laughed and said their lawsuits would proceed.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Shapiro said. “Hopefully the American people can breathe a sigh of relief, but I will not let my foot off the gas so long as the postal officials continue to violate the law through their procedural steps.”
Bravo! But this is merely a first step.
