NPR's Noel King interviewed the Iowa Postal Workers Union President, Kimberly Karol. I urge you to read the entire transcript. (It’s not long.) She has been at the USPS for over 30 years, yet she has never seen anything like this. Louis DeJoy, a Trump flunky, was appointed as postmaster general. He has numerous conflicts of interests and no experience whatsoever—but he was a large Trump donor.
His changes have drawn widespread criticism. Karol admits she “is not a fan,” and she is not alone. She said "mail is beginning to pile up in our offices, and we're seeing equipment being removed.”
"In Iowa, we are losing machines. And they already in Waterloo were losing one of those machines. So that also hinders our ability to process mail in the way that we had in the past."
She said the changes made aren’t designed to save money, but to undermine public confidence in the Post Office. I would agree with that, with the added bonus for Trump of undermining confidence in the upcoming election that he is terrified of losing. She also believes DeJoy is trying to circumvent the rules that require public comment.
I would love for someone to explain to me how taking away mail sorting equipment, which stations already have, will 1) save money 2) do anything but hinder the mail going out in a timely manner. But that is the entire point, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, this is happening everywhere. Washington state officials are already complaining about mail sorting machines being removed.
DeJoy has already cut hours, cut overtime, removed trucks and jacked up the price of mail-in ballots right before the election. He is also, like Trump, opposed to the USPS getting more funding, which is as nefarious as it gets.
Vote early, in person, if you can. If you get a mail-in ballot, please take it to the elections office or a drop box. If you have to mail it, make sure you have enough postage and mail it in IMMEDIATELY. Thirty-four states won’t count it if it comes after Election Day, and Trump’s team is doing everything in their power to ensure that happens.
#TrumpKillsUSPS
In the meantime, it’s all hands on deck, people:
Trump just admitted he is sabotaging the post office to stop vote by mail. Dem leaders need to get an injunction and even consider impeachment, since this is a criminal act. It’s the right thing to do and I don’t care if the Senate acquits him—they will each have to go on record with destroying the USPS, and this puts the issue front and center. Most people don’t know this sabotage is even going on.