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Washington — House Democrats grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at a hearing on Monday over recent changes to the Postal Service that have slowed mail delivery, highlighting growing concerns about the service’s ability to handle mail-in ballots ahead of the November election. 

“Our entire country is experiencing these delays as a result of Mr. DeJoy’s actions,” said Representative Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. 

In his two months on the job, DeJoy has overseen a series of recent operational changes, such as eliminating most overtime and ending extra package deliveries. Democrats on the panel repeatedly attributed DeJoy’s moves to either incompetence or a deliberate desire to hamper mail delivery ahead of the elections, when an influx of mail-in ballots are expected to be cast over concerns about the coronavirus.

The postmaster general defiantly rebuffed Democrats’ accusations and defended his stewardship of the Postal Service, accusing House Democrats of spreading “misinformation” about his actions and reiterating that the USPS is “fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s ballots securely and on-time.”

DeJoy suspended several changes after public outcry earlier this month, but told lawmakers on Monday that he would not reverse any of the measures that have already been implemented. Under questioning from Democrats, DeJoy refused to commit to restoring mail-sorting machines that have been removed from facilities in recent weeks, a move that raised alarms about delays in delivery.

Republicans on the committee accused Democrats of perpetuating “conspiracy theories” about the Postal Service, defending DeJoy’s integrity and commitment to the service.

Several Democrats raised concerns about DeJoy’s history as an executive at companies that hold contracts with the Postal Service, as well as his ties to President Trump and the millions of dollars in donations he has made to the Republican Party and GOP candidates, including the president.

The hearing came after the House passed a bill on Saturday that would provide an additional $25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service, reverse the recent changes and prevent the agency from implementing any new changes until January 2021. Democrats say they are concerned that Mr. Trump is deliberately trying to curtail mail delivery to making casting absentee ballots more difficult.