Senator Charles Schumer is warning of big cuts if the federal government doesn’t step in to help bail out the U.S. Postal Service. The senator believes proposed cuts could also have implications for the upcoming presidential election.

Judy Schwartz thought it was odd that for two days, two recent weeks in a row, the mail was never delivered in her Brighton neighborhood.

“Thirty-five houses for two consecutive days, not one person got mail,” said Schwartz. “And I thought, ‘something has to be done.’ ”

Schwartz took her concerns to her mail carrier, and to Senator Schumer. The New York Democrat held a news conference in Rochester Thursday to discuss the problem.

“The post office has a problem exacerbated by COVID,” said Schumer.

The fiscal issues of the U.S. Postal Service are well-documented. More than 2,000 people work for the post office in Rochester and the Finger Lakes. Schumer wants the postal service included in Washington’s “COVID-4” relief bill.

Postal union workers who joined Schumer agree.

“They’ve bailed out small businesses, large businesses,” said Ken Montgomery, president of Branch 210 of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “But they're refusing to help the United States Postal Service.”

Union letter carriers believe there’s something else happening.

“We believe it's an honest effort on the part of the administration to discredit the postal service, to drive a wedge between the American public and the postal service,” said Montgomery. “So that they don't have confidence in our ability to send in your vote.”

Postmaster General Louis Dejoy announced cost-cutting measures this week. Appointed by President Trump, Schumer called DeJoy a “political hack.” He says with the election coming up, and vote-by-mail a hot issue, it’s no coincidence.

“President Trump has said he doesn't like vote by mail,” said Schumer. “But in COVID, we're all going to have to vote by mail and every vote should count.”

The postal service issued this response from the postmaster general: “Let me be clear that with regard to election mail, the postal service and I are fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process. If public policy makers choose to utilize the mail as a part of their election system, we will do everything we can to deliver election mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards.” 

Schwartz is also worried about mail-in balloting, and what a gutting of the postal service could do to the election process.

“Here we are. Will their ballot really get in?” she asked. “Will their vote really matter? And that really disturbs me greatly.”