Washington — Postmaster Common Louis DeJoy certain Congress Friday that the U.S. Postal Support will be capable to system the nation’s mail-in ballots in November.

“As we head into the election time, I want to assure this committee, and the American public, that the Postal Services is totally capable of offering the nation’s election mail securely and on time,” DeJoy reported.

DeJoy, who has been at the heart of controversy about value-cutting improvements to the Postal Services that led to fears about the ability to take care of mail-in ballots for the November election, testified Friday just before the Senate Homeland Stability and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The main Republican donor and close ally of President Trump appeared just before the Republican-led panel to response questions about the mail agency’s finances and functions in the course of the coronavirus pandemic, which has exacerbated the Postal Service’s fiscal woes, and the upcoming general election.

Immediately after he was installed as the postmaster normal in June he carried out a sequence of operational variations designed to help you save the struggling Postal Company revenue, curtailing additional time and prohibiting postal workers from generating added outings for late-arriving mail. Below his oversight of the agency, there have also been studies of blue mail collection packing containers becoming removed and a reduction in substantial mail-sorting devices.

The shifts led to a slowdown in mail shipping and delivery.

DeJoy said Friday he is “particularly highly confident” the Postal Provider will be in a position to be certain that mailed ballots sent seven times in advance of Election Working day will be processed and counted. “We will scour just about every plant every single evening top up to Election Working day,” he vowed. 

He also expressed assist for mail-in voting, telling senators, “I believe the American public should really be capable to vote by mail, and the Postal Company will aid it.” 

That reported, in reaction to concerns about letters despatched by the Postal Provider to 46 states and the District of Columbia warning that mail-in ballots may not be processed in time to be counted, DeJoy mentioned the trouble was with condition deadlines for sending election mail. He indicated some deadlines are as well shut to Election Da and encouraged Individuals to vote early.

“I have hardly ever spoken to the president about the postal company,” DeJoy said. He also claimed he by no means spoken to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin or White Residence main of staff Mark Meadows about improvements to assistance.