Trump seeking to ‘sabotage election’ through Postal Service changes: Pelosi

US Democrats have cranked up pressure on the US president over cutbacks in the Postal Service as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Donald Trump is seeking to sabotage the November election.

The Democratic-run House of Representatives said it would vote on a bill that prohibits recent postal service changes that have slowed the mail service around the United States.

There have been growing worries about the safety of voting in November amid worsening coronavirus pandemic.

Democrats have pushed mail-in ballots as a safe alternative, but fear mail service could be hindered and delayed by cost cuts at the Postal Service under Louis DeJoy, a top Trump donor and his ally.

House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has referred to the changes as “Trump’s campaign to sabotage the election”, announcing that DeJoy will testify on the matter next week before the Oversight Committee.

“We will have vote by mail. It will be successful. We will not depend on the president to anoint it,” Pelosi said.

DeJoy, Trump’s postmaster general, agreed to testify before the Democratic-led House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee, which is investigating whether recent service changes have slowed mail deliveries.

The changes include reductions in overtime, restrictions on extra mail transportation trips and new mail sorting and delivery policies.

More than a dozen US states are expected to sue the Trump administration over the cuts as early as this week.

"The president may hate the Post Office, but he's still going to have to send them a change of address card come January," said US Senator Amy Klobuchar, who ran unsuccessfully against Biden in the 2020 primary.

Trump has repeatedly, without offering evidence, claimed that mail balloting is vulnerable to fraud and has warned of a “rigged election.”

The cost cuts at the US Postal Service could lead to missed or delayed ballots as it is expected that about twice as many Americans vote by mail as did so in 2016 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said Monday that, “We can’t play games, get out and vote through those beautiful absentee ballots or just make sure your vote gets counted.

The US president trails Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden in polls ahead of the election.

The House will meet on Saturday to consider legislation prohibiting the Postal Service from making changes to operations or service levels that were in place on Jan. 1, 2020.

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