Washington, D.C. – In response to the recent changes implemented at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and 13 of her Senate colleagues in an amicus brief supporting several states, including Nevada, that are suing the USPS. On September 17th, Judge Stanley Bastian of the U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington issued a decision to temporarily block the USPS from implementing further policy changes. The amicus brief signed by Senator Cortez Masto supported the states’ argument that the USPS failed to provide an opportunity for public comment and neglected to seek an opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission before implementing changes that have resulted in unreliable service and widespread delays ahead of the 2020 election.
“Nevada has a large number of rural and low-income communities that depend on the USPS’s crucial mail delivery services. While the USPS had already announced a suspension of further operational changes until after November, the truth is Postmaster DeJoy tells Congress one thing while concerning emerging reports of mail delays tell a different story. Yesterday’s federal injunction will hold Postmaster DeJoy to his word and provide further assurance to Nevadans and Americans across the country. However, too much damage has already been done. The USPS must immediately reverse the changes made in order to protect the integrity of our election and the fundamental right to vote. Since its founding, the USPS has played a critical role in American society, and I’m proud to have joined this amicus brief in support of Nevada and states across the country, so we can fully understand the impact these changes may have had and prevent future ill-considered partisan policies from being implemented.”
BACKGROUND:
In August, Senator Cortez Masto:
- Joined a letter urging U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to provide answers regarding reports of recent changes to long-standing practices at USPS that would result in increased delivery times and costs for election mail, and calling on him to not take any further action that makes it harder and more expensive for states and election jurisdictions to mail ballots.
- Held a virtual roundtable with United States Postal Service workers in Nevada to thank them for serving Nevada communities as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to discuss procedural changes by the Postmaster General that are impacting mail delivery for Nevadans.
- Joined a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and VA Secretary Robert Wilkie demanding immediate action following reports of significant delays in veterans’ prescription medications through the U.S. Postal Service.
- Sent a letter to state election officials requesting information on the impact of delays to election mail, delivery time and prices for election mail, any changes made to state requirements in light of election mail delays and other important information for investigating operational and policy changes at the U.S. Postal Service.
- Called on Administrator Seema Verma of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services to take action to ensure that seniors receive prescription medication on time in the face of ongoing delays at the United States Postal Service.
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