Congresswoman: USPS processes Christmas time mail so it can 'handle' 2020 election during pandemic

Michigan Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence said Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service processes large volumes of mail during Christmas time so it can handle the added influx of mail-in ballots in the 2020 election due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Donald Trump keeps saying that the Postal Service cannot handle the mail. You all know what we call Christmas volume where there is millions of pieces of mail moved every day with people mailing greeting cards during the holiday season, during Mother's Day and other things," she said during a "Day of Action" on which lawmakers gathered outside of post offices to show support for USPS. 

"We are accustomed in the Postal Service to having peak mail. We adjust it to be sure that we handle it," she added.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that a "new bill" will be passed when the House comes back in session this week but did not elaborate on specifics of the legislation. His office did not return a request for comment. 

The bill will reportedly include the $25 billion in increased USPS funding that was part of the $3.4 trillion to $3.7 trillion HEROES Act the House passed in May.

It is unclear whether the bill will include the requirement in the HEROES Act for all states to proactively mail out ballots to voters.

"Obviously if the House passes a bill, it will be incumbent on the Senate to do the same," Schumer said during a press conference.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Tuesday that there isn't "widespread fraud" in mail voting. She mentioned the negotiations with the White House over the fourth stimulus bill.

"When they asked his [Trump's] chief of staff, 'you don't have any evidence of fraud in vote-by-mail' and he said, 'Well, you don't have any evidence there isn't fraud.' Oh, really? I mean they insult the intelligence of the American people," Pelosi said at a news conference. "They want to stop this because it removes obstacles of participation to voting."

Lawrence said the new bill would help block any effort to cut out "overtime" for Postal Service employees or move USPS equipment.

"You cannot do this during a time where we are having a national election," she said. "The bill will say stop and desist. Do not continue these methods."

A Postal Service employee and veteran at the press conference with Lawrence said he needs more hours.

"I'm a veteran. I'm a postal employee and I am an American citizen and I'll tell you this is the first time somebody has found a way to offend all three at one time," he said, referring to Trump.

A member of a USPS union in Detroit at the news conference said he has seen equipment move in the past at his USPS location but not four machines at one time, which he explained happened recently.

Trump won Michigan by about 10,000 votes in 2016. Michigan is one the states that will automatically send out absentee ballot applications to all voters.