House passes USPS legislation that has little chance of getting through Senate
The House on Saturday passed legislation that would provide $25 billion to the United States Postal Service, while also banning any operational changes to the agency — like the removal of mail-sorting machines and collection boxes — and reversing already-enacted measures.
The 257-150 vote was mostly along party lines. Democrats introduced and supported the bill, driven by fears that the Trump administration is deliberately trying to slow mail delivery ahead of the November election given President Trump's continued opposition to a coronavirus pandemic-related push for universal mail-in voting. Republicans, on the other hand, accused their colleagues of manufacturing "baseless conspiracy theories" and insisted the post office can handle election just fine. Some GOP members did cross the aisle, however.
It's unlikely the bill will pass the Republican-controlled Senate, however, and Senate Majority Leader Mitchell McConnell wasted little time expressing opposition to the legislation, tweeting his disapproval just minutes after the vote.
House Democrats have spent weeks ignoring the urgent needs of American workers and families, but they rushed back to Washington the instant that overblown conspiracy theories about the U.S. Postal Service convinced them their own jobs might be in jeopardy. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/41VdckTLw0
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) August 22, 2020
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