Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, warned Postmaster General David Steiner that he would pursue a congressional subpoena and lead an effort to remove him from office if the U.S. Postal Service continues advancing a proposal linked to President Donald Trump’s March executive order that would “limit” mail ballot delivery to voters listed on a federally maintained voter database.
According to a statement released by Krishnamoorthi’s office on June 25, the warning followed testimony during a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing that the USPS had published a proposed rule to implement the executive order. Witnesses also testified that Steiner reaffirmed before the Senate earlier this week that the Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots in states that decline to provide voter registration data required under the proposal.
Earlier Thursday, a federal district court “blocked” key provisions of the executive order, including its attempt to establish a “federal voter list” and direct the Postal Service’s handling of mail ballots.
“If you continue to move forward with this proposed rule despite the court ruling this morning, I, as a senior member of the Oversight Committee, will move to subpoena you and lead the effort to remove you from your post,” Krishnamoorthi said.
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During the hearing, Krishnamoorthi also expressed concern that restricting mail voting would disproportionately affect military personnel and Americans serving overseas who rely on absentee ballots. He noted that states such as Texas and Florida count certain military and overseas ballots received after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on time.
“President Trump’s demand to throw out ballots arriving after Election Day would break the law and disenfranchise military voters,” Krishnamoorthi added. “That’s a severe disservice to our men and women in uniform, among others.”
Krishnamoorthi also raised broader concerns about potential federal involvement in election administration, citing comments from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggesting that ICE agents could be deployed to polling places in response to alleged threats.
Referring to federal law that prohibits the deployment of armed federal personnel at polling places, Krishnamoorthi cautioned against using security concerns as a justification for federal intervention in elections.
