In a sudden pivot to sweeping changes to the United States Postal Service (USPS), Postmaster General Louis Dejoy announced all changes being made to the USPS would be suspended until after the Nov. 3 general election.

This change comes as 20 Democratic attorney generals across the country announced plans to file federal lawsuits. Widespread criticism on how the shakeup is actively affecting the everyday lives of Americans has also been highlighted of late, especially in regards to how it could derail the Presidential election.

“Your voice made a big difference,” wrote Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Joaquin Castro on Twitter. “But we can’t let up now – we must restore the Postal Service’s capacity. Dangerous delays of vital medicine and packages can’t happen again, and in-mail voting must be accessible.”

But Dejoy’s announcement is not a reversal by any means. It simply means the measures being taken in recent weeks – whether that be limiting overtime hours for USPS employees, turning down mail-sorting machines, or removing mailboxes from the streets –  are only suspended.

Operational changes have been suspended until after the General Election, but the damage has already been done. Already, dozens of states have warned that due to existing ballot deadlines, there is a risk that ballots requested near the deadline will not be returned and counted in time.

“You know, Postmaster Dejoy can say whatever he wants about what changes will or will not happen in the future. He has lost the trust of the American people, he has lost our trust to make sure he will follow through,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Tuesday.

“After they said that they would suspend taking mailboxes out, there were reports and there was confusion about whether that was continuing to happen or not. We need to get him under oath, on a committee, letting us know what is happening, and we have to undo the damage that he has already done,” she continued, emphasizing the need to get Dejoy to speak before a committee.
 

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Chair of Oversight Dems has called on Dejoy to testify at an urgent Oversight Committee hearing scheduled for Aug. 24, intended to investigate the damaging changes made to the USPS.

However, the letter indicates Dejoy has already been avoiding such a hearing for weeks. He is expected to show on Aug. 24, but this is after he stalled long enough to inhibit the postal service to its current state.

In any case, AOC is ready for the hearing, writing, “See you there,” when it was announced.

No matter how late, Dejoy will be questioned on the changes made. Activists will continue to highlight the USPS crisis, as it is critical in ensuring all voters can safely exercise their right to vote during a pandemic.