Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Returning To Vote On Postal Funding
Politico: Pelosi Calls Back House Over Postal Service Upheaval
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic leaders will summon the House back in session this coming week to confront President Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine the U.S. Postal Service, she announced Sunday night. The House is expected to vote as early as Saturday, Aug. 22, on a proposal to block the Trump administration’s plan for overhauling the Postal Service. This is weeks earlier than Pelosi and the House Democratic leaders had originally planned to return to Washington. But the revised House schedule comes amid a national uproar over a crisis within the Postal Service ahead of a national election that will see an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots. (Bresnahan, Ferris and Caygle, 8/16)
AP: Pelosi To Call House Back Into Session To Vote On USPS Bill
“In a time of a pandemic, the Postal Service is Election Central,” [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi wrote Sunday in a letter to colleagues, who had been expected to be out of session until September. “Lives, livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy are under threat from the president.”The decision to recall the House, made after a weekend of high-level leadership discussions, carries a political punch. Voting in the House will highlight the issue after the weeklong convention nominating Joe Biden as the party’s presidential pick and pressure the Republican-held Senate to respond. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent senators home for a summer recess. (Mascaro and Daly, 8/17)
The New York Times: Pelosi To Recall House For Postal Service Vote As Democrats Press For DeJoy To Testify
The announcement came after the White House chief of staff on Sunday signaled openness to providing emergency funding to help the agency handle a surge in mail-in ballots, and as Democratic state attorneys general said that they were exploring legal action against cutbacks and changes at the Postal Service. The moves underscored rising concern across the country over the integrity of the November election and how the Postal Service will handle as many as 80 million ballots cast by Americans worried about venturing to polling stations because of the coronavirus. President Trump has repeatedly derided mail voting as vulnerable to fraud, without evidence, and the issue had become a prominent sticking point in negotiations over the next round of coronavirus relief. (Cochrane and Edmondson, 8/16)
In related news —
AP: Lawmakers: Postal Changes Delay Mail-Order Medicine For Vets
Policy changes that slow delivery at the U.S. Postal Service are taking a toll on military veterans, who are reporting much longer wait times to receive mail-order prescription drugs, according to Democratic senators. (Yen, 8/14)
The Hill: Clyburn: Trump 'Signing A Death Warrant For A Lot Of People' With Mail-In Voting Opposition
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) in an interview on Saturday criticized President Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting, saying the president is “signing a death warrant for a lot of people.” "We ought not be crippling the Post Office and for the president to admit that he is doing this in order to gum up the works when it comes to the elections, he is actually signing a death warrant for a lot of people that he ought not be doing this," Clyburn said on CNN. (Balluck, 8/16)
The Washington Post: State Officials Rush To Shore Up Confidence In Nov. 3 Election As Voters Express New Fears About Mail Voting
President Trump’s unprecedented attacks on the U.S. Postal Service amid widespread mail delays across the country are shaking voters’ faith that their ballots will be counted, prompting a rush among federal, state and local officials to protect the integrity of the Nov. 3 election. Thousands of voters have called government offices in recent days to ask whether it is still safe to mail their ballots, according to officials across the country. Attorneys general from at least six states are huddling to discuss possible lawsuits against the administration to block it from reducing mail service between now and the election, several told The Washington Post. State leaders are scrambling to see whether they can change rules to give voters more options, and Democrats are planning a massive public education campaign to shore up trust in the vote and the Postal Service. (Gardner and Min Kim, 8/16)
The Washington Post: Vote By Mail: Which States Allow Absentee Voting
The coronavirus pandemic is set to change the way millions of Americans can vote in November, as states expand access to mail-in voting as a safer alternative to in-person voting. As of now, over 180 million Americans who are eligible to vote would be able to cast a ballot by mail. Of those, 25 million live in states that will accept fear of the coronavirus as an excuse to vote absentee, or have switched to become “no excuse” states. (Rabinowitz and Renee Mayes, 8/14)
