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Pelosi to call House back into session to vote on USPS bill

Pelosi to call House back into session to vote on USPS bill
Posted at 7:39 PM, Aug 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-16 19:42:36-04

Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is calling the House back into session this week to vote on a bill prohibiting the U.S. Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service.

The action comes amid growing concerns that the Trump White House is trying to undermine the agency during the coronavirus pandemic while states expand mail-in voting options. A senior Democratic aide tells The Associated Press that House Democrats are likely to discuss the schedule on a conference call on Monday and are expected to be in session next Saturday.

Pelosi sent a letter to Democratic members, stating that changes to the post office would "threaten to deny the ability of eligible Americans to cast their votes through the mail in the upcoming elections in a timely fashion. These delays also threaten the health and economic security of the American people by delaying delivery of life-saving medicines and payments. In 2019, 1.2 billion prescriptions were delivered through the Postal Services, including almost 100 percent from the VA to veterans."

Any changes would need the approval of the Senate and president. While it's unclear how the Senate would react to such a bill, the president said he would approve assistance for the Post Office with conditions.

"Sure, if they gave us what we want. And it’s not what I want, it’s what the American people want," Trump said Friday.