WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — As the Senate prepares to return to Washington next week, Democrats are asking Republicans to pass more funding for the U.S. Postal Service.
Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, says the Republican-led Senate should pass a bill already approved by the House and send it to President Trump.
“Take what the House has done,” Casey said. “The House acted responsibly by not only legislating but appropriating $25 billion, and you had a number of Republicans that agreed with them.”
Casey’s comments come as Democrats say the post office needs the funding to handle mail-in ballots in the presidential election. But Republicans say the Postal Service already has enough cash and there are other more pressing needs. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) says she doesn’t expect the Democrats’ bill to come up for debate.
“Remember, we did put forward a $10 billion loan to the post office, which I don’t believe they’ve actually accessed yet,” Capito said. “There’s a lot of other things hanging out there that I’d like to see us take care of small businesses, vaccines, school openings, and all those kinds of things.”
Postmaster General Lois DeJoy has suspended any changes to mail delivery until after the November elections. In testimony before Congress last month, he said the Postal Service has enough resources to ensure ballots arrive in time.
NewsNation wants to know what you think. Does the U.S. Postal Service receive more funding from the government? Send us your feedback here.