#Washington, Pennsylvania to lead states in lawsuits against Postal Service

Fourteen states have filed a federal lawsuit against the United States Postal Service over changes that they say will be detrimental to the November election — with Pennsylvania expected to follow suit in the coming days.

The suit, led by Washington state, is part of a multi-state effort to challenge recent changes by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is accused by Democrats of trying to undermine the USPS ahead of an expected massive mail-in ballot turnout.

DeJoy has slowed mail service with changes including cutting overtime and removing high-speed mail processing machines and mailboxes — as part of what he called a “transformative” overhaul of the beleaguered agency.

“The ‘transformative’ changes DeJoy has implemented are both procedurally and substantively unlawful,” the coalition said in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington federal court.

“As a matter of substance, these changes will have a wide range of negative consequences that violate a diverse array of federal laws, from harming individuals with disabilities in violation of the Rehabilitation Act to disenfranchising voters in violation of the Constitution.”

Washington state joined the suit with Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania — a key swing state that President Trump won in 2016 by a razor-thin 0.72 margin — is expected to file a similar lawsuit.

“We will be taking action to reinstate Postal Service standards that all Americans depend on, whether it’s for delivering their prescription drugs or for carrying their very right to vote,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a statement announcing the suits. “Recent post office changes have been implemented recklessly, before checking the law, and we will use our authority to stop them and help ensure that every eligible ballot is counted.”

News of the complaints came on the same day DeJoy promised to not make any changes to equipment or overtime until after the Nov. 3 election.