The postmaster general will testify before the Senate on Friday, adding to another planned appearance in the House of Representatives three days later.
Louis DeJoy, the Republican megadonor who was sworn in as postmaster general in mid-June, has faced harsh criticism for mail slowdowns in recent weeks, which critics have traced back to DeJoy policies like slashing overtime and decommissioning mail sorting machines.
He will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday, The Washington Post first reported Tuesday. DeJoy is expected to answer questions about the mail slowdown as well as a $25 billion USPS funding package currently being debated in Congress.
The mail slowdown’s potential affect on the 2020 election has spurred panic in recent weeks, given the dramatic spike in Americans seeking to vote by mail in order to avoid polling places during the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Donald Trump has suggested that he’s against the $25 billion USPS package because it would help facilitate widespread mail-in voting.
DeJoy and Robert Duncan, the chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, have also agreed to testify on Monday before the House Oversight Committee.
