#Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to deliver same opening statement in House hearing

If House lawmakers find Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s opening statement familiar, there’s a reason.

DeJoy will deliver the exact same remarks he gave before the Senate Friday when he testifies before the House Oversight and Reform Committee Monday morning.

House Democrats, led by House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), will spend the morning questioning the GOP donor on recent changes to the Postal Service as President Trump continues to rail against mail-in-voting.

In the prepared remarks obtained by The New York Times, DeJoy will reiterate his denial that the Postal Service was slowing mail to undermine the November presidential election, calling it an “outrageous claim.”

DeJoy conceded that on-time mail delivery had declined recently, but attributed that to the coronavirus pandemic and said the USPS would prioritize ballots over first-class mail to make sure they arrive to election officials on time.

“I’ve never spoken to the president about the Postal Service, other than to congratulate me when I accepted the position,” DeJoy also testified to the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

The postmaster general pledged amid outcry over recent reforms that he would pause all reforms to the US Postal Service until after the election. But he said swirling claims against him and his management of the USPS were inaccurate.

“Since I’ve been here, we spent $700 million on overtime. Overtime ran at a 13 percent rate before I got here, it runs at a 13 percent rate now,” DeJoy said.

During questioning at the hearing, DeJoy specifically denied any role in removing neighborhood mailboxes or in closing post offices.

For weeks, Democrats have accused DeJoy of a playing a critical role in undermining the election. Many speakers at last week’s Democratic National Convention suggested mail-in ballots were under threat.

The commander-in-chief has become a chief opponent of the practice, saying that while absentee ballots are okay, mail-in-ballots are at severe risk for fraud.