Krishnamoorthi, Budzinski, Pappas Lead 97 Members Demanding USPS Halt Trump-Backed Mail Ballot Rule

September 4, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), together with Representatives Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH), today led 97 Members of Congress in demanding that Postmaster General David Steiner halt implementation of a new U.S. Postal Service rule carrying out President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail ballot delivery.  The lawmakers warned that the rule could throw the nation’s election system into uncertainty and chaos just weeks before states begin sending mail-in ballots to millions of Americans. The rule would require USPS employees to cross-reference mail ballots against voter information supplied by states, effectively asking postal workers to act as election judges. In their letter, the lawmakers wrote: “The evidence is clear: voting by mail is safe, effective, and helps to ensure everyone is able to execute their constitutional right to vote. USPS has played an essential role in elections for generations – and it is our fear that this final rule risks harming the democratic process and severely damaging USPS’s relationship with the millions of Americans who rely on USPS to deliver ballots every election cycle.” The lawmakers pointed to USPS’s longstanding record of successfully delivering election mail and the extremely low incidence of mail-voting fraud. During the 2024 election cycle, USPS delivered 99.22 million ballots, including ballots for servicemembers overseas, and delivered 99.88 percent of election mail within seven days. A 2025 Brookings Institution study cited in the letter found an average of just four cases of voter fraud for every 10 million mail-in votes cast. The letter also raises serious questions about USPS’s compliance with court orders governing the Trump Administration’s mail-ballot policy. An anonymous whistleblower alleged that USPS resumed development of its Federal Ballot Mail Portal around July 29 while an injunction remained in effect and that work continued even after an August 27 temporary restraining order barred further preparatory steps. The lawmakers wrote that those allegations are difficult to square with USPS’s representation that it would take no action to implement the rule while the injunctions remained in place. The lawmakers wrote: “This rule is a solution in search of a problem. For these reasons, we respectfully ask that you halt the implementation of this final rule.” Krishnamoorthi, Budzinski, Pappas, and their colleagues are demanding answers from Steiner by September 10, including whether USPS conducted a financial analysis of the rule, whether development of the Federal Ballot Mail Portal continued while court orders were in effect, whether USPS coordinated with the White House in developing the rule, how many postal employees would participate in ballot verification, and how USPS plans to handle ballots in states that have already printed envelopes that do not comply with the new requirements. The full text of the letter is available here .