LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he believes the U.S. Postal Service will be fine ahead of the general election, discussing President Donald Trump's concerns with USPS during an event in Hart County Monday.
"The postal service is gonna be just fine," McConnell said. "We're going to make sure that the ability to function going into the election is not adversely affected."
On Thursday, the president acknowledged he was blocking a relief package with two provisions that would provide money to USPS.
"If we don’t make a deal, that means they don’t get the money," Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network. "That means they can’t have universal mail-in voting; they just can’t have it."
McConnell said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has indicated the Trump administration is prepared to spend up to $10 billion to make sure the post offices will be good going into November.
In late July, the post office's general counsel sent states a letter warning that many of them have too tight of deadlines for voting by mail. While some states have universal mail voting, others have little experience with large amounts of ballots being cast by mail.
Kentucky will allow any voter who is worried about contracting or spreading COVID-19 to vote by mail. The state is also allowing early voting every work day and Saturday starting Oct. 13.
McConnell said he supports the decision by Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams, saying he felt the primary also worked out "pretty well."
"The governor's a Democrat and the secretary of state's a Republican, and they reached an agreement that this was the best way to conduct the fall election consistent with our situation in Kentucky," McConnell said. "I'm fine with that."
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