Congressman Terri Sewell, D-Selma, is returning to Washington to vote in favor of funding a Democratic proposal to provide support for the U.S. Postal Service. Tuesday, Sewell explained why she believes this is important.
“The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an essential service that Americans have long relied upon to access goods and supplies, and to provide large-scale employment across our nation,” Sewell said. “Given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the continued need for Americans to remain safe at home, the USPS is needed now more than ever. The President’s attacks on the USPS over the past weeks and months are an unprecedented and shameless attempt not only to undermine this critical institution, but to suppress the vote this coming November.”
President Donald Trump has been critical of claims by Democrats that additional funding for the Postal Service is needed and has opposed the $10 billion bailout.
“Make no mistake, the President knows exactly what he is doing, and he is doing it at the expense of American lives and liberties,” Sewell said. “Currently, over 170,000 Americans, including 1,800 Alabamians, have lost their lives to this virus and to the President’s failure to enact a comprehensive national plan to combat it. Still, he continues to make unsubstantiated statements about the potential for election fraud with mail-in ballots, an argument we know to be made in bad faith given an utter lack of evidence and the fact that he himself votes by mail.”
On Fox & Friends Monday, President Trump accused Democrats of attempting to exploit the controversy over the USPS to pass party priorities in an additional stimulus bill.
“They really want $1 trillion to bail out their badly run states, like New York State,” Trump said, speaking of Democrats. Trump said that the U.S. is “never going to have a fair” election if there’s widespread mail-in voting. There is no evidence of widespread voting fraud among mail-in ballots.
Democrats have called for $10 billion for the Postal Service in coronavirus relief talks with Republicans. They have concerns about USPS’s ability to handle the influx of mail-in ballots and have accused the president of attempting to suppress the vote.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-California, called the House back into session on Sunday to take up legislation that would reverse operational change, but not provide additional USPS funding made by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy earlier this year that he said had “unintended consequences” and led to delays.
“I have to tell you, that if you go with this universal mail-in . . . tens of millions of ballots being sent to everybody and their dogs, dogs are getting them, okay? People that have been dead for 25 years are getting them, you have to see what’s happening. Then you’re never going to have a fair election,” Trump claimed.
“As a proud daughter of Selma, I have made it my mission in Congress to continue the unparalleled legacy of my friend, mentor and hero, Congressman John Lewis,” Sewell said. “I will continue to fight tirelessly to eradicate voter suppression and this is no exception. This Saturday, I will join my colleagues in returning to Congress to vote in favor of emergency funding for the USPS for the health of our democracy and of the American people.”
DeJoy has said that he will not implement his cutbacks and reforms until after the 2020 election.
Sewell is serving her fifth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. She is cruising to her sixth term as she has no Republican general election opponent.
