Demonstrators gathered Saturday for “Save the Post Office” rallies around the country, including in Hollywood and South Pasadena, to decry recent changes at the U.S. Postal Service that raised alarm ahead of the November election.
The rallies at post offices nationwide saw concerned residents showing support for mail carriers and pushing back agains the Trump administration’s USPS policy changes, which include cutting overtime for employees, limiting post office hours, and removing some high-volume mail sorting machines from USPS facilities.
Democrats argue the policies were intended to impede mail-in voting ahead of the November election. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, an ally and donor of President Donald Trump, has denied the claims, saying the changes were intended to increase efficiency and save money.
Protesters in Hollywood called on DeJoy to resign in the wake of mail slowdowns and urged Congress to “protect and save the post office from Donald Trump.”
Democratic Candidate for South Pasadena City Council, Michelle Hammond, organized Saturday’s rally in South Pasadena.
“This issue is really bipartisan — I mean the Postal Service affects everyone,” Hammond said. “The fact is is that our Postal Service is suffering.”
Hammond said she was concerned about the city’s older residents, many of whom depends heavily on the Postal Service, especially to get medication and pay their bills.
The House approved legislation Saturday to allocate $25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service and ban operational changes that have slowed mail service around the country.
The bill passed 257-150, largely along party lines, with Democrats supporting it. More than two dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the measure, defying House GOP leaders and President Donald Trump, who actively urged Republicans to oppose it.
Ahead of the vote, the House Oversight Committee on Saturday released new internal USPS documents that show postal service declines and delays since the beginning of July.
The August 12 internal USPS slide presentation prepared for the postmaster general, which was obtained and released by the committee, shows that there has been an overall drop in service across the board in first-class and priority mail, marketing and periodicals.
“To those who still claim there are ‘no delays’ and that these reports are just ‘conspiracy theories,’ I hope this new data causes them to re-think their position and support our urgent legislation today,” Maloney said in a statement Saturday.
“We have all seen the headlines from every corner of our country, we have read the stories and seen pictures, we have heard directly from our constituents, and these new documents show that the delays are far worse than we were told,” she added.
A USPS spokesperson on Saturday referred CNN to a fact sheet that includes information on the postal service’s handling of election mail and its operational changes. The spokesperson told CNN DeJoy “looks forward to appearing” before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
DeJoy said earlier this week that he would halt the changes until after the November election. Congressional Democrats were unsatisfied with the announcement. Pelosi said in a letter to members on Thursday that DeJoy’s decision is “wholly insufficient and does not reverse damage already wreaked.”
“Therefore, in the name of our democracy and the veterans, seniors, families and small businesses who depend on the Post Office, we will pass the Delivering for America Act,” Pelosi wrote.
In a Senate hearing on Friday, DeJoy said the Postal Service is able to handle election mail.
“As we head into the election season, I want to assure this committee and the American public that the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on time,” DeJoy told senators during the hearing. He also claimed he never spoke with President Donald Trump or anyone else at the White House about Postal Service changes or their potential impact on the November election.
