Scalise on Postal Service Conspiracy: "This is a fabricated crisis"

WASHINGTON, D.C.— House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) took to the House Floor today to blast Democrats for calling the House in to vote on a conspiracy theory over the United States Postal Service, rather than doing something to help families and small businesses across America.

Whip Scalise pointed out Democrats' hypocrisy in declaring the Post Office's situation a crisis, yet failing to show up to address it — 68 House Democrats skipped today's supposed emergency legislation. Whip Scalise closed by citing testimony from the Postmaster General and several other sources confirming that the Postal Service has the capability to handle voting by mail and once again calling out Democrats' hypocrisy after thousands of postboxes were removed during the Obama-Biden years to no hysteria at all.

Full remarks:

"When you think about why we're here on a Saturday, I would think if we're being brought here on a Saturday in the middle of a pandemic it's to help those millions of families who are struggling.

"Madam Speaker, I would think if we're going to come here on a Saturday it would be to help those millions of small businesses — the restaurants in south Louisiana and New Orleans that don't even know if they're going to open again because of where we are right now in this pandemic. You would think that's what we would be here for. But instead, Madam Speaker, why we're here for a fabricated crisis.

"The Wall Street Journal: 'Nancy Pelosi goes politically postal. Congress ought to be embarrassed by this evidence-free conspiracy theory.' It's the Wall Street Journal.

"The New York Times: 'I was a Postal Service regulator for 18 years. Don't panic, the Service is perfectly capable of handling election mail.' That was a Bill Clinton-era appointee.

"Then you look at, again, this fabricated crisis that, 'Oh my gosh there are mailboxes being closed.' Let's look at the record during the Obama-Biden years — just four years — 11,560 mailboxes removed. Where were the hearings for that? Where were the Saturday votes to decry that they were closing mailboxes?

"It never happened because it's not a real crisis. Even the Postmaster General just testified yesterday, 'The Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation's election mail fully and on time.'

"That's the Postmaster General. If you would have listened to him, I know there's a hearing on Monday, maybe if you would have waited to see what he actually said Monday in this committee, you would have known that this is a fabricated crisis. But you knew that before, Madam Speaker.

"They knew this was a fabricated crisis. In fact, when we talk about the money, 'Oh my gosh, the Post Office is going to run out of money!' Well the problem is the facts decry even that they've got a surplus of over $12 billion sitting in the bank today and then they've got — this is the Department of Treasury, Madam Speaker, a $10 billion line of credit that they can't even access because they've got too much money in the bank right now.

"Imagine small businesses watching on a Saturday because they can't open, they're not even sure if they're going to be in business next week because they have no money in the bank, and they're hearing about this crisis Congress is coming here on a Saturday [to fix] and then they find out the Post Office has over $12 billion in the bank, they've got access to a line of credit of $10 billion from Treasury that they can't get today because they've got too much money in the bank right now.

"It's here! This is the letter from the Treasury. And it's so important, Madam Speaker, that 68 Democrats chose not even to show up today. 68 are not even here today. Because this is a fake crisis. It's a fabricated crisis. It's a shame that instead of helping small businesses and families, [Democrats] are trying to scare the American people when everybody knows there's enough money to carry out [the mail].

"Joe Biden took out over 11,000 post [boxes]. It was never even a problem.

"We've got to vote against this."