TOPLINE

The Trump administration continued its attacks on the U.S. Postal Service and voting rights Thursday, as President Donald Trump admitted he is denying USPS funding to block mail-in voting while White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow called voting rights “not our game”—prompting an outcry from Democrats alleging Trump is “sabotaging” the election through his continued politicization of the postal service.

KEY FACTS

A lack of funding for USPS and mail-in voting, Trump said, “means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.”

Kudlow described voting rights as part of a “liberal left wish list” to CNBC in a discussion about the stimulus package, saying such priorities were keeping the White House from reaching a stimulus deal because issues like voting rights are “not our game.”

“This is voter suppression, plain and simple,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold tweeted.

Big Number

75%: The approximate percentage of Americans who will be eligible to vote by mail in November, according to a New York Times analysis, which could result in an estimated 80 million mail ballots. Recent polling shows that voting by mail remains popular with a slim majority of Americans—but with a sharp partisan divide, with Democrats approving of the practice at much higher rates than Republicans.

Key Background

The U.S. Postal Service has become an ongoing source of controversy in the wake of DeJoy’s appointment. The new postmaster general imposed recent cost-cutting measures targeting overtime and transportation costs, which have resulted in reports of widespread mail delays, removal of mail sorting equipment and possible post office closures. DeJoy also ordered a restructuring of the agency’s organizational structure Friday in a move that critics decried as a “Friday Night Massacre.” The changes have come under particular scrutiny due to their potential effect on the election, with former deputy postmaster general Ronald Stroman telling the Guardian Thursday that “making these changes this close to an election is a high-risk proposition.” “The concern is not only that you’re doing this in a pandemic, but a couple of months before an election with enormous consequences,” Stroman said. “If you can’t right the ship, if you can’t correct these fast enough, the consequence is not just, OK, people don’t get their mail, it’s that you disenfranchise people.” DeJoy has defended his changes to the agency and denied slowing down the mail or being influenced by Trump, and has said that USPS has “ample capacity” to handle a mail-based election.

Further Reading

Stimulus Checks Held Up Because Democrats Want Universal Mail-In Voting, Trump Says—But That’s Not The Whole Story (Forbes)

House Democrat Introduces Bill To Stop U.S. Postal Service Changes (Forbes)

Postmaster General Accuses Congress Of ‘Sensationalizing’ Mail Delays As Bipartisan Outcry Grows (Forbes)

Most Americans Don’t Think The Election Will Be Conducted Fairly, Poll Finds (Forbes)