Local officials are calling to protect the U.S. Postal Service amid accusations the Trump administration is trying to undermine the agency to influence the election.

News 12 Long Island's Caroline Flynn was at the Freeport post office where residents say they rely heavily on their services.

Elected officials and postal workers say they are worried the future of the institution and those services are at risk.

The group is demanding the full funding and protection of the institution. The move is in response they say to President Donald Trump's false allegations that mail-in voting leads to election fraud.

President Trump has said he thinks the universal mail-in ballots would be a disaster, but he does support funding USPS.

Sen. Chuck Schumer says veterans, like ones at the VA Clinic in East Meadow, rely on the mail to get their prescriptions and medications. He says if they don't get those important items on time, it could be a danger to their health.

One of the things some people say is concerning to them is images of collection boxes bolted around the country and cutbacks to hours of post offices.

Sen. Schumer says the postmaster general recently made cost-saving changes by removing mail sorting machines at processing centers and cutting hours at certain post offices. He adds the USPS needs to operate at its best, so vulnerable people like seniors and veterans can get their mail in a timely manner.

"I don't know why this guy's is doing it, it's not working," said Sen. Schumer. "To do it normally would be bad. To do it during COVID when people can't go to the stores, the drug store and everywhere else where they need necessities is nothing short of outrageous."