Statement: To ensure safe, secure elections, Congress must ignore the President and fund the Postal Service

The President’s plan to undermine the USPS would harm our democracy and public health

U.S. PIRG

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told Fox News Thursday that he does not want to fund the United States Postal Service (USPS) because he does not want American citizens to vote by mail. All states allow some vote-by-mail and 42 of them will allow any voter to do so this fall. Years of experience in states such as Oregon and Colorado have proven that, when done properly, voting by mail is very secure.

The President has claimed, without any merit, that expanded vote by mail will spur election fraud. In contrast, experts have concluded that weakening the USPS does pose a threat to our democracy and public health. 

In response, U.S. PIRG Democracy for the People Director Joe Ready made the following statement:

“By disrupting the delivery of everything from paychecks and prescriptions to birthday cards, starving the USPS of the funds it needs to maintain basic operations would be a problem under ‘normal’ circumstances. But to do so during a pandemic and with the intention of making it harder and less safe for Americans to vote is unconscionable.

“The USPS is not a tool to be manipulated for political purposes. Voters — whether they be Democrats, Republicans or independents — need its essential services to safely cast their ballots this fall. Without a functioning USPS. too many people will be forced to choose between their right to vote and potentially exposing themselves to COVID-19.

“Since the United States’s founding, the postal service has been a critical part of our national infrastructure. For many Americans, particularly those in rural and remote locations, as well as the elderly and less mobile, the USPS is a lifeline to the rest of the world.  

“Congress must stand up to the president and for our democracy. U.S. PIRG calls on Congress to treat the U.S. Postal Service like the vital public service it is and provide it with the necessary funding to continue full operations.”

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U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democratic society.

U.S. PIRG affiliates: Arizona PIRG, CALPIRG, CoPIRG, ConnPIRG, Florida PIRG, Georgia PIRG, Iowa PIRG, Illinois PIRG, MASSPIRG, Maryland PIRG, PIRGIM, MoPIRG, MontPIRG, NCPIRG, NHPIRG, NJPIRG, NMPIRG, Ohio PIRG, OSPIRG, PennPIRG, RIPIRG, TexPIRG, WashPIRG, WISPIRG.

U.S. PIRG is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to getting things done.