Sens. Coons, Durbin, Lee introduce bipartisan Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act

Senator Coons joins virtual event highlighting Treasury-certified nonprofit Capital Good Fund

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Sept. 3, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) spoke at a virtual event that aimed to raise awareness of a nonprofit resource for Delawareans who don’t have enough savings and have significant, unexpected expenses due to COVID-19 or other financial hardships.

The nonprofit Capital Good Fund, a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFI, offers a few types of unsecured personal loans to individuals and families. Many customers are low-income families and immigrants who might not have many options to deal with financial emergencies; however, Capital Good Fund is seeing an increase in middle-class demand for their services. These loans are an alternative solution to payday lenders and car title companies that often charge 500 percent interest or more.

“Delaware is a state that has a particularly strong payday loan lobby and industry,” Capital Good Fund Founder and CEO Andy Posner said. “In 2018, 75,000 residents took out a payday loan or a similar type of predatory product. The average interest rate – and I had to double check this – is over 500 percent there. You can get a payday loan as high as 3,600 percent in the state of Delaware.”

“We’re in the middle of three different crises right now that makes their work more relevant than ever,” Sen. Coons said. “We are, of course suffering through the greatest public health challenge in a century – the pandemic that has shut down so many states and so much of our economy and has thrown millions out of work.”

Since the COVID-19 crisis began, Capital Good Fund has financed over 600 COVID-19 Crisis Relief Loans of $300 to $1,500 with a five percent APR and a three-month deferment period and put 12 percent of its active borrowers on deferment plans.

During the Sept. 3 virtual event, Posner talked about how Coons helped bring CGF’s resources to Delaware with funding assistance from Discover and the Longwood Foundation. Another CDFI that serves Wilmington, Stepping Stones Community Credit Union, hosts CGF’s staff in Delaware.

Capital Good Fund has locations in Rhode Island, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts — with plans for expansion into Texas this year. The nonprofit organization has financed more than 5,500 loans for about $11 million with a 95 percent repayment rate and provided 1,600-plus families with financial coaching throughout the United States.

The CDFI nonprofit is one of the few CDFIs focused on individual consumers/families, and making small-dollar, easily accessible, and unsecured loans.

According to Capital Good Fund, the loans, which range from $300 to $25,000, are regularly used for crucial needs such as vehicle purchase, repair, or refinance; immigration expenses; security deposits; energy-efficiency upgrades; responding to emergencies or crises, and catching up on rent/utilities.

Capital Good Fund and its local community partners hope that the Sept. 3 virtual event will help more people learn about CGF’s inclusive loan products as an option for Delawareans — citizens and immigrants – facing difficult financial decisions.

To learn more about Capital Good Fund visit capitalgoodfund.org/en/. For information from the Federal Trade Commission on protecting America’s consumers, visit ftc.gov/.   

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons responds to reports of Russian interference in 2020 election

WILMINGTON, Del. — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined MSNBC Live to discuss foreign election interference and U.S.-Russia relations. His comments follow recent reports of ongoing Russian disinformation campaigns on social media to interfere in U.S. domestic politics.

“[T]his is yet another instance of the Trump administration not believing, not relying on the intelligence community, and then not fully engaging in the sort of aggressive response against Russian interference in our domestic affairs that is called for, that is justified, that is warranted,” Senator Coons said of the reports. “I was upset and alarmed by reports just a few weeks ago that President Trump didn’t even raise with Putin intelligence reports that they were offering bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. This suggestion that there’s heightened Russian intelligence activity supporting a social media campaign that is an intentional effort to interfere in our election is just another reminder of why we need a president who will stand up to Putin.”

Senator Coons concluded, “I’ve been very disheartened by the refusal of the Republican majority in the Senate to stand up to President Trump to call him out on instances that implicate our democracy, our elections, and our national security.”

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below. 

Q: Senator, I want to pick up on what you just heard from Ken Delanian. Do you think there’s a coverup going on here? 

Sen. Coons: Well Chris, this is very concerning. It strongly suggests that this is yet another instance of the Trump administration not believing, not relying on the intelligence community, and then not fully engaging in the sort of aggressive response against Russian interference in our domestic affairs that is called for, that is justified, that is warranted. I was upset and alarmed by reports just a few weeks ago that President Trump didn’t even raise with Putin intelligence reports that they were offering bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. This suggestion that there’s heightened Russian intelligence activity supporting a social media campaign that is an intentional effort to interfere in our election is just another reminder of why we need a president who will stand up to Putin.

Q: As you well know, this report comes as there have been a series on attempts by Russia and other foreign actors to influence the November election. I just wonder, though, what can be done over the next 62 days, or I guess you would say potentially even less than 62 days since so many people are voting early. What can be done between now and the time people are casting their ballots? Or can anything be done?

Sen. Coons: Well, we’ve got career professionals at the FBI, at the NSA who work under the Director of National Intelligence who we have to hope and believe are going to do their duty by our nation. These efforts by the Trump Administration need to be called out. They need to be challenged and tested by members of the House and Senate. We have seen the Senate Intelligence Committee actually act in a bipartisan way on issues around Russian interference. So my hope is that that one functioning committee of the Senate will take this issue up as soon as we get back in next Tuesday. 

Q: What do you think the chances are that actually happens? 

Sen. Coons: I’ve been so disheartened…50/50 at best. Chris, I’ve been very disheartened by the refusal of the Republican majority in the Senate to stand up to President Trump to call him out on instances that implicate our democracy, our elections, and our national security. 

###

Sens. Coons, Graham urge Pres. Trump to ensure human rights and fundamental freedoms are protected in Belarus

WILMINGTON, Del. — On Monday, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote President Donald Trump expressing concern over the crackdown on civil society and disturbing signals from Russia following the Belarusian presidential election rigged in favor of incumbent Alexander Lukashenko. The senators call for President Trump to ‘cooperate with European partners to induce the Belarusian government to end its assault on democratic values and take all necessary measures to ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens are respected’ in the region. 

“Hundreds of thousands of outraged citizens have gathered around the country to publicly denounce the fraudulent election, and they have been met by violent security forces employing rubber bullets, stun grenades, water cannons, and in at least one incident live ammunition.  More than 7,000 Belarusians have been detained so far, with scores hospitalized and two reported deaths at the hands of police.  Main opposition candidate Svyatlana Tskihanouskaya was forced to flee to neighboring Lithuania after alleged threats to her young children,” the senators wrote. 

Senators Coons and Graham concluded, “we urge you to cooperate with European partners to induce the Belarusian government to end its assault on democratic values and take all necessary measures to ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens are respected.  It is also of paramount importance that you take a strong and public stand against the possibility of further Russian adventurism.”

The full letter is available here and below. 

Dear Mr. President,

We write to express our deep concern over the conduct of the August 9 presidential election in Belarus that was rigged in favor of Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for 26 years and is often called Europe’s last dictator.  Hundreds of thousands of outraged citizens have gathered around the country to publicly denounce the fraudulent election, and they have been met by violent security forces employing rubber bullets, stun grenades, water cannons, and in at least one incident live ammunition.  More than 7,000 Belarusians have been detained so far, with scores hospitalized and two reported deaths at the hands of police.  Main opposition candidate Svyatlana Tskihanouskaya was forced to flee to neighboring Lithuania after alleged threats to her young children.

Following an August 15 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko announced that in the framework of the Union State and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, they had agreed that “at the first request there will be comprehensive assistance provided to ensure the security of the Republic of Belarus.”  Kremlin-controlled journalists have publicly called for Russia’s “polite men,” a euphemism for the unmarked special forces that appeared in Crimea before its so-called annexation and in eastern Ukraine, to be dispatched to Belarus.  While Lukashenko has in the past striven to balance the West, and more recently China, against Russia to achieve a modicum of independence, the deployment of Russian forces into Belarusian cities and towns would destroy the vestiges of the country’s sovereignty and set back democracy efforts by decades.  A Russian operation in Belarus would also place its forces on the borders of NATO members Poland and Lithuania, a position that would threaten our allies in Eastern Europe.

As such, we urge you to cooperate with European partners to induce the Belarusian government to end its assault on democratic values and take all necessary measures to ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens are respected.  It is also of paramount importance that you take a strong and public stand against the possibility of further Russian adventurism.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. 

Sincerely,

###

Sens. Carper, Coons urge school nutrition program extension for 2020-2021 school year

WILMINGTON, Del. — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and 26 of their colleagues in calling fora full extension of school meal waivers through the end of the 2020-2021 school year so that schools have the flexibility that they need to fully serve students whether or not they are attending school in person. 

The senators initially made this request in July, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that it will agree to extend some of the school meal waivers.

“We are glad that you have extended some school meal waivers until the end of the 2020-2021 school year, and grateful that you recently extended some other waivers until December 31, 2020. However, we remain concerned by your decision not to extend all waivers for the entire 2020-2021 school year, and we urge you to correct this as soon as possible,” wrote the senators.

The senators raise the importance of full extension given that the economic and public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will clearly last beyond the end of the calendar year.

“The remaining waivers that you have not extended for the entire 2020-2021 school year are desperately needed by school meal providers across the country to ensure they have the funding, flexibility, and certainty to continue feeding schoolchildren for the entire upcoming school year. Many localities are dealing with budget shortfalls due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are relying on federal assistance to keep providing meals,” wrote the senators. “Furthermore, millions of parents have lost their jobs in the past six months and are struggling to ensure that their children have access to nutritious and healthy meals. Many families are relying on school provided meals as one of the only reliable sources of healthy food for their children.”

The senators also address why USDA already has the authority necessary to fully extend the critical waivers.

In addition to Senators Carper, Coons, and Hassan, the letter was sent by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Read the full letter here or below:

Dear Secretary Perdue: 

Thank you for your letter dated August 20, 2020 in response to our letter dated July 29, 2020 urging you to extend all relevant school meal waivers for the entire 2020-2021 school year. We are glad that you have extended some school meal waivers until the end of the 2020-2021 school year, and grateful that you recently extended some other waivers until December 31, 2020. However, we remain concerned by your decision not to extend all waivers for the entire 2020-2021 school year, and we urge you to correct this as soon as possible. We also write to express disagreement with your conclusion that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have the authority to extend these waivers until the end of the next school year.

In your response to our July 29^th letter you wrote that the request to extend all of the relevant waivers “is beyond what USDA currently has the authority to implement.” This conclusion is based off an incorrect interpretation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Pub. L. No. 116-127) (“FFCRA”). FFCRA clearly provided USDA with the authority to issue these waivers for the 2020-2021 school year. The only constraint that Congress imposed upon USDA’s authority to issue these waivers was the requirement in Section 2202(e) that they be issued on or before September 30, 2020. Waivers issued prior to that sunset date can still cover periods after the sunset date, including the entire 2020-2021 school year.  USDA’s previous decision to extend a number of the nationwide waivers that we mentioned in our letter until the end of the 2020-2021 school year including for the food management company contract duration, local school wellness assessment, and the fresh fruit and vegetable program parent pickup requirements – and your recent decision to extend the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and Area Eligibility Waivers until the end of this calendar year – clearly show that USDA believes it has the authority to extend these waivers well beyond the sunset date. ^[1]  

The remaining waivers that you have not extended for the entire 2020-2021 school year are desperately needed by school meal providers across the country to ensure they have the funding, flexibility, and certainty to continue feeding schoolchildren for the entire upcoming school year. Many localities are dealing with budget shortfalls due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are relying on federal assistance to keep providing meals. Furthermore, millions of parents have lost their jobs in the past six months and are struggling to ensure that their children have access to nutritious and healthy meals. Many families are relying on school provided meals as one of the only reliable sources of healthy food for their children.

We urge you to reverse your decision and use the authority given to your Department under the FFCRA to extend the following waivers nationwide for the entire 2020-2021 school year:

• Area Eligibility Waiver
• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Waivers
• Unexpected School Closures Waiver

We recognize the incredible effort USDA has undertaken to ensure that millions of schoolchildren in this country do not go hungry. This hard work is not yet complete and we implore you to continue working with states and use USDA’s already existing authority to provide them with the flexibility needed to enable food authorities to provide meals through USDA’s child nutrition programs. For any questions, please reach out to Andres Hoyos at Andres_Hoyos@hassan.senate.govand Tom Koester at Tom_Koester@hassan.senate.gov.  We look forward to receiving your response as soon as possible on this timely matter.

^[1] https://www.fns.usda.gov/programs/fns-disaster-assistance/fns-responds-covid-19/child-nutrition-covid-19-waivers

###

HBCU, ROTC funding takes ‘FLIGHT’ at Delaware State University

DOVER, Del. – On Friday, August 28, the Delaware Congressional Delegation and Delaware State University leadership celebrated the passage of legislation to improve the diversity of civilian pilots and military leadership by increasing opportunities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities or HBCUs.

Led by Sen. Chris Coons, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, and cosponsored by Sen. Tom Carper (all D-Del.), the FLIGHT Act, which passed with the NDAA of 2021, calls for new resources for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students at HBCUs and minority institutions, with special emphasis on flight training support.

The goal of the FLIGHT Act is simple – it’s about leveraging the resources we already have in Delaware and putting them to better use,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “It’s about bringing new, exciting, and diverse talent to the ranks of our military, and opening doors for students at HBCU’s like Delaware State University that haven’t traditionally been open. I want to thank my partners on this bill, Senator Coons, Senator Carper, and Congressman Anthony Brown. I also want to thank Dr. Tony Allen, and the entire leadership team at Delaware State University for their tireless efforts in helping us pass the FLIGHT Act.”

“Now more than ever, we are reminded of how vital it is that our leaders, our guardians, and our role models reflect the diversity of America itself,” said Senator Coons. “Our service members come from all walks of life, but people of color remain underrepresented at the military’s highest levels. Today’s military aviators will become tomorrow’s best-trained commercial pilots. Our current officers in uniform will become our policy experts, our CEOs, and our political leaders. The FLIGHT Act is just one of many steps we must take to ensure that those who lead our country also fully represent it. I thank and congratulate my colleagues on this victory, and I look forward to working with them to put FLIGHT into action in Delaware and across the country.”

“The formation of a more perfect union is an ideal that we must constantly strive to meet,” said Senator Carper. “As we as a nation continue to take important steps in promoting equality, we cannot overstate the importance of removing the barriers to serving in a leadership role in our military. As a former ROTC student who went on to serve as a naval flight officer, I understand the positive impacts that ROTC and aviation training, in particular, have on our nation. Today, the students at Delaware State University and at HBCUs across our country have a similar opportunity, and, with the FLIGHT Act, they’ll have a greater chance to succeed and serve in leadership roles in the military and in their civilian careers, as well. I want to thank Senator Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester for leading the charge and introducing this bill, and I look forward to continue working to make sure that students who are eager to take flight and serve their nation will reap the benefits.”

Dr. Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University, praised the Congressional Delegation for their faithful support of the University, especially as evidenced by their work on the Flight Act.

“We are already committed to doubling the size of our Aviation Program in the next five years,” Dr. Allen said. “We knew that we could do that with an increased aircraft fleet, and now we are certain we can exceed that with the Flight Act.”

People of color are underrepresented in American military leadership-particularly at higher ranks and in high-investment, training-intensive specialties like aviation. As a whole, the Air Force is almost 20% African-American. But that diversity is deceptive: less than 2% of Air Force pilots (and less than 3% of civilian pilots) are Black. Similar asymmetries affect other branches of the Armed Forces.

Aspiring military aviators can significantly improve their career prospects with undergraduate pilot training, but ROTC scholarships do not cover flight training costs. This shortfall makes it more difficult for low-income students to become pilots.

The FLIGHT Act establishes two pilot programs, with the goals of:

Lowering the barriers to ROTC participation for students at HBCUs and minority institutions. A majority of ROTC students at HBCUs must commute to host institutions for classes – often over long distances. This bill allows funding and resources to mitigate that problem, in part by encouraging partnerships between the institutions and nearby military bases.

Supplementing flight training costs for ROTC members enrolled at HBCUs. While these funds can be used at commercial flight schools, priority is given to students who would also receive their flight training at HBCUs.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 is expected to become law before the end of the fiscal year, September 30.

Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester announce $18.8 million to improve nearly 100-year-old rail line from Delaware to Virginia

HARRINGTON, Del. – Today, Delaware’s Congressional Delegation of U.S. Senators Tom Carper, Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) along with Delaware Department of Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse announced an $18,803,354 award from the Department of Transportation to Delmarva Central Railroad to upgrade its near century-old rail infrastructure.

Delmarva Central Railroad operates 188 miles of track that is the primary rail corridor through the Delmarva Peninsula, providing additional shipping options for rural companies and farmers. In October 2019, the delegation members wrote a joint letter of support to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.

“Improving these bridges supports a critical flow of freight on the Delmarva Peninsula, connecting many rural areas in southern Delaware, Maryland, and the Eastern Shore of Virginia to the national rail network, supporting major industries and regional employers,” they wrote. 

The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Program grant will be used along with Delmarva Central Railroad’s $29.4 million investment to upgrade three large, aging moving rail bridges – the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal Bridge, Nanticoke River Bridge, and the Pocomoke River Cassatt Bridge. The investments will also upgrade public rail crossings and the main rail line.

###

ICYMI: Senator Coons joins DETV’s Community Crossfire with Norman Oliver

WILMINGTON, Del. –  On Sunday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined DETV‘s Community Crossfire with Norman Oliver to discuss community outreach, constituent services, protecting the vote, USPS, and the senator’s college experience with studying abroad in Africa. 

To watch highlights of the DETV interview, visit youtu.be/foDCPZUdmGU. A partial transcript is below. 

Listening to Delawareans

“I get a report every week. I get a report from my offices – from Washington, Wilmington, Dover – about every email, phone call, anyone who’s expressed concern. Actually, two weeks ago, it happened that I ended up sponsoring a bill that one Delawarean wrote in about…I also get the numbers on what their biggest concerns are. We are now over 2,000 people who’ve called or emailed my office in the last three weeks expressing concern about the delay of their mail. Veterans who aren’t getting their medication mailed to them by the VA, small business owners who can’t send checks or get checks, seniors concerned about their Social Security checks. A few cases, it’s just literally, ‘I mailed my granddaughter her birthday card with a check, and she didn’t get it for ten days. She got it after her birthday.’ So, some of these folks, Independents, Republicans, Democrats, are just complaining about the mail. Others are concerned about what they see on TV about the postmaster general.”

Protecting the Vote

“If we weren’t pumping money into the airlines right now, they wouldn’t be flying. If we weren’t giving money to Amtrak, it wouldn’t be moving. So, the fundamental question here is: what is the Postal Service? Is it just another business? Or is it an essential service that connects our country together? And in the middle of a pandemic that’s impacting our election, shouldn’t we be making sure that the Postal Service has the resources it needs to deliver mail, medication, social security checks, and ballots safely and in a timely way.”

College Semester in Africa

“You know Norm, when I was a junior in college I went and spent a semester in Kenya. It changed my whole world; it changed my mind; it changed my faith; it changed my view of the world. In summary – I’ve got a lot of stories – but I had just unbelievably welcoming, kind, charitable families let me stay in their homes and get to know them and their kids and their context, and it really challenged me. It really tested me because I saw hospitality like I’ve never seen before.”

Going to Kenya

“I would say it was the first decision I ever made. My parents didn’t want me to go. My girlfriend didn’t want me to go. My fraternity didn’t want me to go. My roommates didn’t want me to go. That was the time when I went to church a lot. Kenyans are very, very, faith-centered, very prayerful people, and I had a religious experience that really changed the trajectory of my life. On a beach on an island called Lamu on the Indian Ocean, and that set me in a direction towards later going to Divinity School at Yale, and then later returning to Kenya. I worked with this amazing woman named Zipporah Kamau – and you can look her up on Facebook – who started an orphanage that is amazing.”

Constituent Services

“We’ve got an incredible constituent service team – Krista Brady leads it, but we’ve got folks in Dover and in Wilmington who just knock themselves out. . .so if there’s anybody watching who’s having a challenge with a veterans benefit, with social security, with Medicare, with Medicaid, with immigration, with anything that is federal, that we could help with – [call] 573-6345 – that’s my office number. My website is coons.senate.gov. We have thousands of cases right now, and every week I get a summary of the toughest cases; cases where I might be able to help in some way, but that’s led to just remarkable things…”

To watch the entire Aug. 23 episode of Community Crossfire, visit DETV’s YouTube page at youtu.be/5sMhjZH2Pbc or visit detvch.com. 

Senator Coons’ statement on shooting in Kenosha, WI

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after video emerged of a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting an unarmed Black man identified as Jacob Blake.

“Yesterday, Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

“Mr. Blake is now fighting for his life, and his children are victims of unspeakable trauma, having watched their father shot multiple times. This pain is all too familiar for Black families across the country. We need a full, prompt, transparent investigation and accountability for the officers involved.

“I’m praying for Mr. Blake and his family, and I urge all Delawareans and Americans to join me in speaking up, speaking out, and demanding answers and justice for Mr. Blake.”

Sens. Carper, Coons request information from state election officials on the impact of delays on election mail and other postal services

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in sending a letter to state election officials, requesting they provide information on the impact of any delays to election mail that their state has experienced, the delivery time and prices for election mail that their state is accustomed to, changes they have made to state requirements in light of election mail delays, and other important information for investigating operational and policy changes at the U.S. Postal Service. The letter follows reports that the Postal Service sent letters to 46 states warning that their deadlines for election mail conflict with USPS delivery times and could result in ballots arriving after state deadlines and voters being disenfranchised. The Postal Service also indicated that changes to long-standing practices at USPS that would result in increased delivery times and costs for election mail may still go forward. 

“On August 6, we launched a Senate investigation into the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) after numerous reports surfaced of changes to USPS policy that have resulted in delays in processing and delivering mail. We are concerned that these recent operational changes will undermine the delivery of election mail and make it more expensive for jurisdictions to send and receive election mail and ballots in a timely way. On August 18, USPS announced it was suspending certain operational changes until after the November election. However, our investigation will continue to understand the impact these changes may have already had on elections this year and their potential impact if implemented in the future. This letter represents a request for information as part of our investigation,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Experts and election officials have predicted that there will be an unprecedented number of Americans voting by mail in November, and we have already seen a dramatic increase in the number of voters choosing to vote by mail in primaries since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Many state and local election officials have taken measures to expand voting by mail, including automatically sending ballots and ballot applications to all registered voters so they can vote safely from home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended election officials, where available, “offer alternative voting methods that minimize direct contact and reduce crowd size at polling locations.”

Earlier this month, Sens. Carper and Coons joined Senate Democrats in an initial letter urging U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to provide answers regarding reports of recent changes to long-standing practices at USPS that would result in increased delivery times and costs for election mail, and urged him not take any further action that makes it harder and more expensive for states and election jurisdictions to mail ballots.  

Following that initial letter, Sens. Carper and Coons joined Senate Democrats in an additional letter to U.S. Postmaster General DeJoy calling for oversight over the issue of delays following changes. The senators called on DeJoy to testify before Congress and provide clear, transparent answers on service delays that have caused seniors and veterans to miss their prescription medications, small businesses to lose money and customers over delayed packages, and other serious disruptions that affect communities across the country who count on the Postal Service for timely delivery.

Last week, Sen. Coons joined Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in a letter to U.S. Postmaster General DeJoy to raise concerns over the heightened impact of harmful USPS policy and operational changes to servicemembers and their families. Because USPS is the only service that can deliver to the Army Post Office and Fleet Post Office addresses used by our military overseas, deployed servicemembers and their families are uniquely impacted by changes that have left USPS “intentionally hamstrung and severely strained.”

In addition to Carper, Coons, Klobuchar, and Schumer, Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Angus King (I-Vt.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) also joined the letter. 

The full text of the letter can be found HERE and below:

Dear [Secretary of State / Election Director], 

We write to request information on the delivery of election mail in your state, and to better understand changes you have made to absentee voting by mail in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

On August 6, we launched a Senate investigation into the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) after numerous reports surfaced of changes to USPS policy that have resulted in delays in processing and delivering mail. We are concerned that these recent operational changes will undermine the delivery of election mail and make it more expensive for jurisdictions to send and receive election mail and ballots in a timely way. On August 18, USPS announced it was suspending certain operational changes until after the November election. However, our investigation will continue to understand the impact these changes may have already had on elections this year and their potential impact if implemented in the future. This letter represents a request for information as part of our investigation.

Experts and election officials have predicted that there will be an unprecedented number of Americans voting by mail in November, and we have already seen a dramatic increase in the number of voters choosing to vote by mail in primaries since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Many state and local election officials have taken measures to expand voting by mail, including automatically sending ballots and ballot applications to all registered voters so they can vote safely from home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended election officials, where available, “offer alternative voting methods that minimize direct contact and reduce crowd size at polling locations.”

Delays in the delivery of election mail can lead to voters being disenfranchised. A recent investigation found that “in the primary elections held so far this year, at least 65,000 absentee or mail-in ballots have been rejected because they arrived past the deadline, often through no fault of the voter.” In some cases, as in a recent USPS Inspector General audit of the Wisconsin primary election, ballots have been delivered late, because delays in processing the absentee ballot requests resulted in the ballots not reaching the Postal Service until the end of the day on Election Day. In the recent primaries in Michigan, Missouri, and Kansas, there were also reports of serious delays in the processing and delivery of election mail. These reported delays included instances of mail taking up to 24 days to arrive back at a Missouri county election board, compared to the up to 10 days it took in previous years.  It is our goal to ensure that all states have policies in place that will allow ample time for ballots to arrive and be counted, and that USPS delivers ballots in the timely manner it has in past years to ensure that election officials are able to administer successful elections.

In order for Congress to ensure proper oversight of federal elections, we request that you provide us answers to the following questions by August 31.

1.                   Has your state experienced delays in the delivery of election mail sent through the Postal Service? If so, please provide detailed information of any delays including the additional span of time taken for delivery or arrival.

2.                   Has your office or have local election officials in your state contacted USPS about problems with election mail, and if so, was USPS sufficiently transparent and responsive? Was the problem resolved?

3.                   In any primaries your state has held this year, what percentage of absentee ballots arrived after your state’s deadline?

a.                            How does this compare to previous elections?

b.                           Do you track information on why ballots were considered late, such as postmark present but illegible, missing postmark, mailed too late to arrive by close of the polls? If so, please provide that data.

c.                            Do you believe some of these ballots were mailed on time given the delivery standards, yet arrived late through no fault of the voter?

4.                   Have voters expressed reservations about voting by mail or called to cancel requests for a ballot? Was a reason given? If so, what are the most common reasons?

5.                   Is your office concerned, or have you heard concerns from local election officials that USPS is making substantial changes to processes and procedures affecting election mail in proximity to the election? Are you aware of any USPS staffing shortages in any of the regions in your jurisdiction?

6.                   What is the expected volume of election mail in your state for the general election? Please provide estimates of the number of pieces of mail including voter registration applications, absentee ballot applications, and absentee ballots. 

a.                            Are you concerned about the volume of mail and USPS’s expected processing and delivery times and how longer processing and delivery times may affect voters?

b.                           Are you particularly concerned about an area or areas within your state?

7.                   Please provide any information you have about the rate election officials in your state pay to send election mail, including whether voter registration materials, absentee ballot applications, and absentee ballots are sent at First Class rates or Nonprofit Marketing Mail rates.

a.                            If election officials in your state do not currently send all election mail at the First Class rate, what would be the additional cost for sending each type of election mail – voter registration materials, absentee ballot applications, absentee ballots – at the First Class rate? Would you need to reprint any of your outbound envelopes if you changed the class of service? If so, what do you estimate that cost to be?

b.                           If election officials in your state send election mail at Nonprofit Marketing Mail rates, what are the average delivery times they have experienced this year and in previous years?

8.                   In addition to returning a ballot by mail, what additional options are available for returning ballots in your state, such as drop boxes or hand delivery to election office?

a.                            Have you taken or do you plan to take any steps to increase opportunities for voters to return ballots by hand?

b.                           Are ballot drop boxes available to voters in your state?  If so, how many total drop boxes are available? Are you limited by state law in the number or location of boxes you can offer?

c.                            Due to reports of slow mail delivery, has your office or have local election officials within your state recommended that voters hand deliver absentee ballots instead of mailing them? If not, do you plan to make such a recommendation and at what point in the election cycle do you plan to make that recommendation? 

9.                   The Postal Service can only directly track the service performance of election mail if it has a unique Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb). What percentage of election mail in your state is expected to include an Intelligent Mail barcode?

10.               USPS has issued guidance recommending that voters request absentee ballots at least 15 days before the election. Does this guidance align with the deadlines set by your state?

a.                            If the guidance does not align with the deadlines set by your state, how do you expect this misalignment to affect voters? Are you planning any adjustments in light of the USPS’s guidelines? When do you plan to make those adjustments?

b.                           Please provide any data you have on the number of absentee ballot requests your state has received in primaries this year and in previous elections within 15 days of the election, including what percentage of total absentee ballot requests were received within this timeframe. If you have information on the return success rates of requests received by date of the request, please provide that information.

11.               USPS has issued guidance recommending that voters mail back ballots at least one week before their state’s deadline for receiving ballots. Is this recommendation consistent with the recommendation your office has made to voters this year and in the past? If not, are you concerned about the impact the recommendation will have on the timely mailing and processing of ballots in your state?

12.               If your state does not already accept ballots that were postmarked by the close of polls on election day, would making such a change reduce the rejection of ballots?

13.               Has your state encountered difficulties with processing ballots that do not have postmarks or have illegible postmarks?

a.                            Please provide any data you have on the number of ballots that are returned without a legible postmark.

b.                           Have election officials been accepting other designations that USPS may place on ballots while processing them?

c.                            Has your state considered changing its laws to clarify what designations election officials can use to determine if a ballot meets the state’s deadline for receipt?

d.                           Has USPS reached out to your office and local election officials within your state to communicate any of these challenges and solutions?

14.               The Postal Service Inspector General found USPS may have a shortage of Election Mail Coordinators to help local election officials follow USPS guidance and successfully deliver election mail. For example, there are 1,603 local election offices in Michigan alone, but USPS only has 74 full-time coordinators nationwide. Do you believe there are a shortage of Election Mail Coordinators available to your state and would additional coordinators help to improve the administration of election and allow election officials to better understand the impact of the postal service on elections?

15.               Has USPS shared any other information with you or local election officials that you believe is important to our investigation?

Thank you for your attention to this important issue that is fundamental to our democracy. We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

###