White House says Trump open to amending Postal Service bill
The House approved $25 billion in aid to the United States Postal Service. The bill moves to the Senate. Credit: Bloomberg/Jayme Gershen
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Sunday he hopes Senate Republicans amend a bill supporting the U.S. Postal Service “to get it to the president’s desk,” seemingly contradicting President Donald Trump’s calls Saturday to vote against the measure.
The bill, passed in a bipartisan vote Saturday by the House of Representatives, would send $25 billion to the Postal Service and reverse recent changes to the agency’s operations ahead of November’s election, when millions of people are expected to vote by mail.
Meadows, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," said assertions that Trump would veto the bill were “not correct.” Meadows said during coronavirus relief negotiations, the administration had offered up to $10 billion for the Postal Service and to reform operations, including paying overtime for handling mail-in ballots.
Meadows criticized top Democrats for passing a piecemeal bill Saturday that did not address unemployment benefits, education, small business aid and other needed measures after they said they would support only a comprehensive package.
“Hopefully Republican senators will take the bill, amend it, take many of the things (where people are) hurting … and get it to the president’s desk,” Meadows said.
Meadows’ comments come after Trump urged the Senate to “vote NO to the Pelosi/Schumer money wasting HOAX which is taking place now” in tweets following the House vote Saturday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called passing the bill an “emergency” as people rely on the Postal Service for their prescriptions and other needs. The bill was passed as Trump casts doubt on the integrity of voting by mail and as mail has been delayed following changes to the U.S. Postal Service under new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major Trump donor.
“The public is demanding action on it now. I can’t see how the Senate can avoid it unless they do so at their peril,” Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
She said Democrats want stalled aid negotiations to continue but said the administration’s offers have been inadequate on food insecurity, coronavirus testing, education and state and local governments.
Pelosi noted that Sunday marked the 100th day since the House passed the coronavirus relief package the HEROES Act. In that time, millions have become infected with the coronavirus and tens of thousands have died.
“Could we have saved all of those lives or diagnoses? Not all, but many,” Pelosi said.
Trump administration officials also contradicted Trump’s claims last week that he would send law enforcement to polling sites, which prompted concerns it would intimidate voters. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said on CNN, “We don’t have any authority to do that as a department.” Meadows said officials “will not deploy thousands of sheriffs” or other law enforcement to the polls but will provide assistance if poll officials “need any kind of security.”
When asked if Democrats would accept the election results should Trump win in November, given concerns Trump is trying to undermine the election, Pelosi said, "Of course. But that doesn’t mean we will not shout out against his initiatives.”
Also on Sunday, Meadows declined to condemn QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy group that the FBI has labeled a domestic terror threat and that Trump praised during a news conference last week.
“We don’t even know what it is,” Meadows said, when asked if the president disavowed or condemned the group. “I had to Google to figure out what it is.”
Wolf said QAnon is “not the top of the list” of domestic terror threats, but condemned the group.
Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
