The Daily

The President, the Postal Service and the Election

Aug 19, 2020

Luke Broadwater, a Congressional reporter for The New York Times, dives into the controversial actions of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and their implications for election integrity. He highlights how DeJoy's cuts have sparked fears of mail delays that could disenfranchise voters during a critical election. The discussion also touches on the political maneuvers surrounding Postal Service funding and the intense scrutiny faced by the Trump administration. Broadwater's insights shed light on the ongoing battle over mail-in voting amidst rising tensions.

24:15

Creator website

Episode guests

Luke Broadwater

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

5min

Postal Service Controversy and Mail-in Voting

5min

Shifting Postal Policies Ahead of Election

4min

Ballots, Mail, and Election Integrity

10min

A Call for Unity and Healing Amidst Crisis

2min

The installation of Louis DeJoy as postmaster general has caused alarm. Since taking up the role in June, he has enacted a number of cuts to the Postal Service: ending overtime for workers, limiting how many runs they can make in a day, reassigning more than 20 executives and, from the perspective of the unions, speeding up the removal of mail-sorting machines.

The actions of Mr. DeJoy, a Republican megadonor and Trump ally, have been interpreted by many Democrats as an attempt to sabotage the election in concert with President Trump, who has himself admitted to wanting to limit funding that could help mail-in voting.

Today, we explore to what extent Mr. Trump is using the post office, and the postmaster general, to influence the election.

Guest: Luke Broadwater, a congressional reporter at The New York Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

Postmaster General DeJoy has ushered in measures that, three months out from an election that is expected to rely heavily on mail-in voting, have caused widespread delays.
Amid warnings that changes to the agency may disenfranchise voters, Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled the House from summer recess to vote on legislation blocking any further steps. Mr. DeJoy will testify before the Senate on Friday.
In response to mounting criticism, the Postal Service has suspended operational changes until after the election. It is unclear whether changes already in place will be reversed.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.