BALTIMORE — As concerns mount over policy changes and mail delays with the United States Postal Service, Maryland congressional leaders called for billions of dollars in relief to be passed during a gathering on Monday, while at least one leader called for the resignation of Postmaster Louis DeJoy.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was joined by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Reps. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and John Sarbanes (D-MD), and other political and union leaders during a rally outside a Postal Service distribution center in Baltimore.
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According to Sen. Van Hollen, calls and emails from concerned constituents about mail service have continued to come in from areas around the state.
"We've all heard from constituents who are not getting necessary prescription drugs on time," he said. "During a pandemic, more people rely on the Post Office to get delivery of those drugs. We’ve heard from people not getting retirement checks or Social Security checks. People who have small businesses and are unable to do their business. We realized it was happening in Baltimore, Anne Arundel County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.”
Concerns erupted last week when it became known that the USPS recently sent letters of warning to 46 states -- including Maryland and Virginia -- and D.C., indicating that it could not guarantee all mail-in ballots cast for the November election would arrive in time to be counted.
The issues with mail-in ballots came after weeks of mail delays during the pandemic.
Since then, details have emerged over policy changes implemented under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy dealing with cuts to overtime and mail sorting machines being removed.
On Monday, Rep. Mfume did not mince words when he took aim at Dejoy, a major Trump donor.
"Mr. DeJoy, do us all a favor. Even before the hearings, submit your letter of resignation," he said. "We are not going to stand for it and I hope people across this country don’t stand for it.”
The gathering in Baltimore also featured speeches from mail workers on the front lines.
Courtney Jenkins, a letter carrier and American Postal Workers Union member, said the changes being made were not sitting well with his fellow Post Office team members.
"We don’t know if Postmaster DeJoy knows this or not, but the directives he’s making at the top, this is what it looks like at the ground: slow mail delivery, delayed delivery, people not getting their essential mail when they need it," Jenkins said. "What I want folks to realize is that postal clerk and that letter carrier, they’re not making these decisions. They’re pushing back as much as they can.”
Moving forward, the Maryland leaders called on Congress to pass billions of dollars in aid to help address the issues with the United States Postal Service.
"We need to make it very clear to the American people that we are not going to allow this sabotage to stand," Van Hollen said.
