Biden Slams Trump's New Remarks on Post Office

President opposes additional funding to help agency cope with influx of mail ballots
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 13, 2020 2:13 PM CDT
Trump Opposes Money to Help Post Office Handle Mail Ballots
A letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Va.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

President Trump declared Thursday that he opposes additional funding for the US Postal Service, acknowledging that his position would starve the agency of money Democrats say it needs to process an anticipated surge in mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump said on the Fox Business Network that among the big sticking points for a new coronavirus relief package were the Democrats’ demands for billions of dollars to help postal workers process mail-in ballots, per the AP. “They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots," he said. Without the money, "that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.” He added: "If we don't make a deal that means they don't get the money ... (and) "they can't have universal mail-in voting."

The comments are "pure Trump," said Joe Biden. "He doesn’t want an election.” Trump has moved to sow public distrust in the Postal Service's ability to deliver what is expected to be record numbers of mail-in ballots. The agency's new leader, Louis DeJoy, a major donor to Trump and other Republicans, has instituted operational changes that have led to delivery delays across the US. Democrats were quick to pounce on Trump's remarks. Trump "is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon, cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he wants to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely during the most catastrophic public health crisis in over 100 years," said Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates. (The GOP just lost a Supreme Court fight on mail voting in Rhode Island.)

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