Trump opposes U.S. postal company funding, admits mail-in voting difficult with out it

WASHINGTON —
President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that he opposes added funding for the U.S. Postal Service, acknowledging that his situation would starve the agency of revenue Democrats say it demands to procedure an anticipated surge in mail-in ballots through the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump also falsely mentioned that Democrats were pushing for universal mail-in voting and created the unfounded assert that mail-in voting would direct to significant voter fraud in the November election. Polls suggest Trump is in for a rough reelection battle against Democrat Joe Biden.

The Republican president mentioned on Fox Business Network that amongst the sticking details around a new virus aid package deal were Democrats’ demand from customers for billions of dollars to aid states in guarding the election and to support postal staff process mail-in ballots.

“They require that funds in order to have the write-up office environment perform so it can take all of these hundreds of thousands and thousands and thousands of ballots,” Trump mentioned on “Mornings with Maria,” adding, “If they do not get those people two things, that signifies you can’t have universal mail-in voting simply because they are not geared up to have it.”

Biden’s marketing campaign jumped on Trump’s comments, likening the president’s actions to sabotage.

“The President of the United States is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of individuals count on, slicing a important lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, simply because he needs to deprive Americans of their basic right to vote properly through the most catastrophic community health and fitness disaster in above 100 yrs,” Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a assertion.

Negotiations about a new virus aid deal have all but finished, with the White House and congressional leaders significantly apart on the measurement, scope and technique for shoring up households, reopening educational institutions and launching a countrywide tactic to consist of the coronavirus.

Although there is some widespread floor in excess of $100 billion for colleges and new money for virus screening, Democrats also want other crisis funds that Trump rejects, like to shore up the U.S. Postal Service and election security ahead of the November election.

“They want $3.5 billion for something that will convert out to be fraudulent. That is election income, generally,” Trump stated through Thursday’s phone-in interview.

“They want $25 billion — billion — for the submit business office,” he mentioned, incorporating that, without it, the Postal Support will not likely be equipped to cope with the inflow of mail-in ballots.

Democrats have pushed for $10 billion for the Postal Support in talks with Republicans on a substantial COVID-19 reaction bill. The determine is down from a $25 billion plan in a Residence-passed coronavirus measure.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., chair of the Dwelling subcommittee on government operations, mentioned Trump is acknowledging that he wants to hold up funding for the U.S. Postal Service to hinder Americans from voting.

“The president admits his motive for holding USPS funding hostage is that he does not want Individuals to vote by mail,” Connolly stated in a assertion Thursday. “Why? It hurts his electoral probabilities. He is putting self-preservation ahead of general public security, for an election he warrants to drop.”