Yesterday in the US Capitol, Senator Susan Collins refused to say whether she has confidence in Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Under DeJoy’s leadership, patients who rely on the USPS for prescription drug deliveries have experienced “significant” delays, putting Mainers at risk of missing doses of life saving medication. Maine postal workers and Speaker Sara Gideon have called for DeJoy’s resignation, but Collins isn’t even willing to answer questions about his mismanagement.
It’s not hard to see why Senator Collins doesn’t want to talk about the Postal Service—she was the chief sponsor of the legislation responsible for the agency’s financial crisis. After DeJoy repeatedly cited the losses incurred as a result of Senator Collins’ bill to justify cuts to USPS, it’s clear that she’s desperate to avoid accountability for passing the disastrous pre-funding mandate. Collins has also stayed silent on reports that DeJoy took advantage of his previous position to operate an illegal straw donor scheme, even as many of her colleagues in Congress have taken action to demand accountability.
As postal delays have impacted older Mainers, veterans, farmers, and small businesses across the state, Senator Collins has tried to deny her pivotal role in manufacturing the Postal Service’s financial crisis. But Maine postal workers, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and independent fact checkers agree that the pre-funding mandate she championed is the biggest contributor to the agency’s financial woes. And Collins is still refusing to support efforts to repeal the mandate.
“Mainers need to know that our leaders are fighting back against Trump’s attacks on the Postal Service, but Senator Collins won’t even answer questions about the Trump crony running the agency,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “The postal delays caused by DeJoy’s disastrous mismanagement are threatening the health and wellbeing of Maine people, but Collins has made it clear that she won’t hold this administration accountable, and that’s why Mainers are going to replace her with someone who will.”
###