The US House of Representatives is set to vote on Saturday on providing a 25-billion-dollar boost to the US postal service (USPS) and stopping cost-cutting measures, as concerns have grown that they could affect the November presidential election.

The Democrat-led House is returning from its summer break to vote on the bill, which would still have to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate and signed into law by US President Donald Trump.

Some US lawmakers have expressed concern that the cost-cutting reforms enacted by the head of the USPS, Louis DeJoy, could delay mail delivery at a time when many Americans will be voting by mail as a safety precaution during the coronavirus pandemic.

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The postal service had previously warned that millions of mail-in ballots could arrive too late to be counted in the election.

DeJoy, a Trump supporter, has rejected accusations that his austerity measures could jeopardize the election. He assured senators at a hearing on Friday that mail-in votes could be delivered safely and on time, saying it was his “sacred duty.”

He said that he would be suspending the main delay-causing changes: post office hours will not change, mail processing equipment and collection boxes will not be moved, no mail processing facilities will be closed, and overtime will not be eliminated.

Vanguard News Nigeria