Because of the ongoing health risks associated with COVID-19, a record number of Americans are expected to vote absentee in the Nov. 3 election, rather than in person. Knowing this, President Donald Trump has weaponized the pandemic to obstruct mail services and suppress the vote.
Trump, who himself votes by absentee ballot, thinks by stripping the post office of much-needed resources to process absentee ballots, he can exploit any hint of trouble with vote tallying to cast doubt on, and perhaps even dismiss, the election results should he lose.
It has all the makings of an authoritarian power grab.
In May, the USPS board, made up of Trump appointees, tapped Louis DeJoy, a right-wing conservative and longtime Republican megadonor, for the position of postmaster general. DeJoy promptly began undermining the USPS through various so-called “cost-cutting” measures. These included reassigning or firing Postal Service executives, eliminating hundreds of blue mail drop boxes, removing and disassembling high-speed mail sorting machines and slashing overtime hours for postal workers.
The USPS has been a target of slash-and-burn policies of the Republican Party for years. The weakening of the post office has been a boon for private, for-profit competitors, with whom many political leaders, DeJoy included, have close financial ties.
This purging of resources has already impacted millions of Americans. Life-protecting medications, Social Security checks, food delivery for seniors and the disabled, and bill payments have all been delayed, putting people in jeopardy of real financial and health problems.
Vulnerable populations have been harmed the most, including Native American communities and people living in rural areas who might have very limited access to retail outlets.
For me, as for many Americans, the Trump administration’s assault on the USPS is personal.
One of my uncles served as a mail carrier for more than four decades. As a military veteran from a family of veterans, I greatly value an institution that has a long history of providing stable career opportunities to former military members.
The USPS employs nearly 100,000 veterans, or about 15% of its workforce, making it one of the nation’s largest employers of veterans. Approximately 60% of these veterans have a service-connected disability.
Further, more than 300,000 veterans get their VA prescription medications delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. The military community receives deeply discounted shipping rates and cost-free packaging supplies for care packages to send to service members overseas.
Any soldier or veteran who served in a combat zone can tell you how important it is to feel connected to their loved ones back home.
If Trump had not taken five Vietnam-era draft deferments, made possible by his economic privilege and alleged bone spurs, he would perhaps care more about an institution on which the military community and their families rely.
Under pressure from the public, DeJoy released a statement Aug. 18 announcing that, “To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.”
But the damage has already been done. And, in his subsequent appearances before Congress, DeJoy has stated he has no intention of reversing or restoring services that were already curtailed.
Trump and DeJoy must be kept accountable for the harm they inflicted on a critical part of this nation’s infrastructure. The USPS must be respected and treated as the essential service it is.
Brian Trautman (@brianjtrautman) is an Army veteran, social justice activist and educator based in Albany, N.Y. This column was produced for the Progressive Media Project, which is operated by The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.