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This story is part of Elections 2020, CNET’s coverage of the run-up to voting in November.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have diverted attention from negotiations over the coronavirus relief package to address a crisis within the US Postal Service that spans from funding to changes that some say could affect up to 80 million people’s ability to vote by mail during the November presidential election. Mail-in and absentee voting are seen as crucial to help keep polling tourist places in ahmedabad from become hotspots for spreading the coronavirus. The question remains: Will the sudden focus on the USPS affect the stimulus package? Here’s what we know so far. For a more in-depth look, scroll to the end for a summary of the controversy and read our deep dive into what’s been going on with USPS. On Saturday, the US House of Representatives passed legislation that bans recent changes to the US Postal Service and also provides $25 billion in additional funding for the USPS. Though the House came back from its August recess early for the vote, it didn’t include any other provisions from the coronavirus relief package. We still don’t know when one will come, or when you might get your second stimulus check. The $25 billion in funding for the USPS was originally included in a larger coronavirus stimulus package, but negotiations between House Democrats and Republicans broke down before Congress adjourned on Aug. 7. In a Saturday press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wasn’t in favor of splitting up the coronavirus relief package, but that the USPS situation was “an emergency” and that the bill passed includes additional policy that the House hasn’t issued in its previous proposal over 100 days ago. The Republican-led Senate “will not pass stand-alone legislation for the Postal Service,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday on Twitter. Senate Republicans plan to introduce a “skinny” coronavirus stimulus package called the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act (PDF) that includes $10 billion allocated for the USPS, along with <a website in weekly unemployment benefits – similar to an <a website action signed by President Donald Trump. The draft of this proposed package does not include funding for a second round of stimulus checks, however. But the bill could restart negotiations on other, smaller stimulus relief bills that could include a slice of other programs. At this point, we don’t know. Lawmakers on both sides agree on the need for a second stimulus check and other rescue programs. A couple of different scenarios could play out from here: The Democratic USPS bill (PDF) that passed Saturday in the House says that from the time it’s enacted until either Jan. 1, 2021, or the last day of the COVID-19 pandemic — whichever is later — the USPS may not implement or approve any change to its operations or level of service, other than those that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. In terms of funding, the bill calls for an additional payment of $25 billion to the USPS. Changes that would be prohibited if this bill becomes law include: The bill also calls for the reversal of any policies that hinder mail delivery, and for same-day election mail processing. Read more: The threat to vote by mail isn’t fraud. It’s disinformation and sabotage The current controversy involving the USPS started in June, when DeJoy, a major GOP donor, took the role of postmaster general and rolled out a series of cost-cutting measures designed to make the postal service more profitable, at the behest of Trump. This including cutting overtime, reorganizing the agency’s structure and calling for late-arriving mail to be delivered the next day, which has resulted in a national slowdown of mail. Mail sorting machines and collection boxes have also been removed, fueling doubt that there will be adequate infrastructure to support mail-in ballots. DeJoy announced on Tuesday that the USPS won’t change its retail hours or close mail processing facilities, and mail collection boxes will remain where they are until after the election, to “avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.” After speaking with DeJoy, however, Pelosi released a statement calling the pause to changes “insufficient.” “The Postmaster General frankly admitted that he had no intention of replacing the sorting machines, blue mailboxes and other key mail infrastructure that have been removed and that plans for adequate overtime, which is critical for the timely delivery of mail, are not in the works,” Pelosi said in the statement. DeJoy testified about the recent changes made to the USPS during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Friday. He said that mail volume has dropped in recent years as package volume has grown, particularly during the pandemic. He has no intention, therefore, to bring back the 671 mail sorting machines that have been removed so far, because “they’re not needed,” he said during the hearing. There will be no changes made to election mail, he added. On Monday, at a hearing about the USPS changes before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, DeJoy said that some of the changes made have not gone smoothy and have led to delays, but that improvements are underway. He also said again that the USPS would prioritize election mail ahead of Nov. 3. “I encourage all Americans who choose to vote by mail to request their ballots early and vote early as a common sense best practice,” DeJoy said in his opening statement.
A tale of two USPS bills
Would a USPS law help or hurt the stimulus bill?
What exactly does the House’s USPS bill include?
What’s the controversy with the USPS?