Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is criticizing President Donald Trump’s handling of the United States Postal Service (USPS) ahead of the upcoming general election in November.
During an appearance on “The Today Show,” Warren verbalized her concerns about the controversial restructuring of the Postal Service as she stressed how vital it is for USPS to stay afloat for the American people.
“People depend on the post office. We’re depending on it for our democracy for votes,” Warren said on Monday. “But people also depend on it to get their retirement checks and their social security. People depend on it to get medications through the mail.”
The Democratic lawmaker went on to criticize the president.
Warren said, “This idea that Donald Trump is going to do everything he can to destroy the post office because he knows he is losing this election, this is fundamentally wrong.”
See Warren’s remarks below:
“People depend on the post office. We’re depending on it for our democracy for votes,” @SenWarren says about the Postal Service crisis. pic.twitter.com/bDCtfgV1el
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 17, 2020
Warren’s remarks come just days after Trump admitted that he is continuing to block funding for the Postal Service in an effort to stop universal mail-in voting.
During an interview with the Fox Business Network on Thursday, Trump explained withholding funding as it relates to mail-in voting.
“If we don’t make a deal, that means they don’t get the money,” Trump told host Maria Bartiromo. “That means they can’t have universal mail-in voting. They just can’t have it.”
Although Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the possibility of voter fraud through universal mail-in voting, there is no evidence to support widespread voter fraud.
On the other side of the spectrum, Democratic leaders have criticized Trump’s attack on USPS as they have said it contributes to voter suppression. Voter suppression is described as “any effort, either legal or illegal, by way of laws, administrative rules, and/or tactics that prevents eligible voters from registering to vote or voting,” according to Demand the Vote.
Democratic leaders are now demanding that Trump’s Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Robert Duncan testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee in an “urgent hearing” scheduled for Monday, August 24.