U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) again went on offense against President Donald Trump (R), exclaiming that he is “doing everything he can to undermine, delay and outright stop the mail” during a press conference in front of the Union City Post Office.
“If the administration continues down this path of defunding the postal service, our democracy and economy will suffer. Families, small businesses and thousands of frontline postal workers will be put in harm’s way. And it’s not an exaggeration to say that innocent people will get hurt,” Menendez said this morning.
Joined by Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Sheriff Frank Schillari, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-33), and New Jersey State Association of Letter Carriers President Richie O’Connell, Jr., New Jersey’s senior senator also honed in on remarks the president made on Fox News last week.
“If we don’t make a deal, that means they don’t get the money. That means they can’t have universal mail-in voting; they just can’t have it,” he said, reading off a red and blue sign next to the podium.
“The President of the United States is on record saying he will not fund the post office because he believes it’s in his personal, political interest to disrupt and discredit the election process and disenfranchise millions of voters.”
DeGise stated that he believes Hudson County can lead the way for the New Jersey when it comes to taking a stand against Trump and getting the vote out in November.
“We don’t have to cheat to beat Donald Trump: all we’re looking for is a level playing field and Hudson County will lead the way in the State of New Jersey … we are fully in support of all the measures you’re talking about.”
During the question and answer session with the media, Menendez said he would support any criminal inquiries into the efforts, particularly those of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, to hinder and limit the postal service.
Responding to an inquiry from HCV, Menendez said there is no merit to Trump’s repeated claims that vote-by-mail ballots will lead to fraud, despite four being charged in connection to Paterson’s special election in May.
“Listen, people have gone with other people into voting machines, so the system always requires, at the end of the day, vigilance. But the bottom line is, overwhelmingly, millions of people in this country have voted by mail and vote successfully – including the President of the United States,” he said.
“Why is it all of a sudden bad for everybody else, but only good for him?”
Along with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Menendez is sending a letter to LeJoy today asking why he signed off on operational changes such as overtime cuts and removing collection boxes.
Those decisions are under the microscope now in light of the USPS informing 46 states, including New Jersey, that they may not be able to deliver VBMs to every voter for the November 3rd general election.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with other top Democrats, are working on plans to return to D.C. early in order to address organizational issues with the USPS, as Politico reported.
